劳动力的新闻

心理健康、性格和责任:为重返社会搭建桥梁

2023年7月5日

This piece is the fourth in a series of Fair Opportunities articles intended to raise awareness of the employment needs of justice-impacted individuals in 爱博体育手机版下载 and the benefits to employers willing to give these returning citizens a chance at meaningful employment. 关注即将发布的内容，详细查看活动区域提供商和资源, 以及从他们的互动中直接受益的企业和个人. 受司法影响的个人和当地雇主可以联系爱博体育手机版下载劳动力解决方案寻求帮助.

A positive community environment is vital to justice-impacted individuals seeking reentry into society. While there is much a local employer can do to increase their awareness of the possibilities these persons provide, the justice-impacted individual also needs a lot of mental strength and courage to overcome any fear or doubt they have to make that transition.

Aldrick Woodruff is one example of an individual who has exhibited and cultivated the mental tenacity necessary to restore his place in the local community. 本月，美国政府宣布了一项计划.S. Air Force veteran will complete a thirty-year sentence in the Minnesota correctional system for taking another person’s life. 在此之前没有犯罪记录，而且作为前美国警察.S. 空军中士，伍德拉夫已经有良好的职业道德和纪律水平.

“Committing that crime shook me to my core because that was not what I was supposed to be,他说. “Going forward, I made a point to change my environment instead of letting my environment change me.”

希望之桥

伍德拉夫服刑的头二十年是在橡树公园高地度过的, 明尼苏达州唯一的五级最高戒备监狱. 随后，他在斯蒂尔沃特监狱服刑16个月, 在穆斯湖的中等戒备监狱待了五年, 在里诺湖惩教所待了十八个月的最低安全级别，最后, 其余的在明尼阿波利斯的路德社会服务中途之家.

他在中途之家的工作释放包括一个为期90天的桥梁项目 MINNCOR行业在罗斯维尔. 他的使命是改变被监禁者的生活让明尼苏达州更安全, mincor Industries提供橱柜, 搁置, 家具和更多明尼苏达州的公共和私人实体. The Bridge Program provides employment and work skills training to help participants successfully transition back into society.

伍德拉夫在这一转变中表现出色，最近刚刚完成了在华盛顿大学的一年工作 TKI该公司是明尼阿波利斯多式联运行业的一家家族企业. 他的工作包括担任登机口检查员, 在设备控制甚至培训新的管理人员, 职责和薪酬持续稳步增长.

他还积极参与了一个男子团体人民的力量领导学院, 一个为成年人提供经济支持和就业服务的再入社会组织, 与圣保罗蒸汽钳工、管道钳工455等组织合作.

Woodruff understands that employers may feel skeptical about taking a chance on hiring a justice-impacted individual. At the same time, those individuals can fear being far behind others who have not been incarcerated. But investing in anything always comes with some risk because everything is unknown until it is known, 他说.

“如果雇主只看个人的书面生活，而不去了解他们, 那家公司很可能会错过一些对他们的生意有帮助的东西,他说. “事实是, 钻石来自煤炭，抓住这个机会向个人表明，钻石是可以挽回的, 给他们希望.”

改变的责任

Woodruff’s dedication to changing his situation has been the underlying theme of the past thirty years. 在他宣判的早期, 他皈依了伊斯兰教，成为了一名宗教领袖, 导致个人在导师/导师关系中寻找他.

“They would come to me for advice on how to change their lives and I recognized the responsibility I had because I believe everyone is judged by how they treat others with kindness, 不管他们是谁,他说. “就像老契奇的台词一样 & 冲电影，责任是重的责任.’”

因为他花了更多的时间来辅导别人, Woodruff began to understand the vital role mental health played in many of their situations. 随着他在橡树园高地的作用越来越广为人知, he was moved to live in a mental health unit to be available to those individuals at any time. 他刚搬进来的时候，病人很少会和导师交往. 在他上任的第一周内，双方建立的信任很快就变得明显起来. 一群人开始经常一起玩棋盘游戏. He started a class for mental health programming to help individuals move into the general population and became a conflict resolution mentor as well.

“I have realized my passion for being an interrupter in the lives of young people to divert them from making poor choices that result in prison,他说.

伍德拉夫在橡树公园高地帮助推动的进步一直伴随着他. 在静, 他再次成为一名心理健康导师, intervening in situations that otherwise typically would have resulted in an individual’s segregation. He also began a ‘Building Character’ twelve-week program to help add more compassion and kindness into the environment, 不仅对犯人，对工作人员的培训也是如此. 转到驼鹿湖后, Woodruff convinced the mental health director there that a mental health program would be beneficial. He used his years of prior experience to help establish the current mental health program that exists there today. 还有两名案件经理, he helped to start a diversion program there for young persons just beginning in the court system, 让他们有可能避免或减轻刑期.

“The better rapport between staff and inmates will help make it a safer environment for everyone,他说.

在他任职期间, 他认识了安东尼奥·埃斯皮诺萨, a correctional officer at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater for nearly 20 years, 后来又形成了来自内心的艺术, an organization utilizing inmate-created art to interrupt the labor market punishment cycle through art education and awareness. 《爱博love体育》曾在公平机会系列 4月.

“我最近参加了 “身份”系列的第二部分——来自内心的艺术因为我知道肯定是埃斯皮诺萨，”伍德拉夫说.

他的领导才能也在利诺湖显露出来, as he quickly became a crew leader while working with Habitat for Humanity in home construction.

打断图

随着他假释日期的临近, Woodruff looks eagerly toward continuing to work with youth and adults to be that interrupter for those going down the wrong path.

伍德拉夫说:“我的错误从社区中得到了一些东西. “I believe the right thing to do is give back to the community by stopping others from making similar mistakes and diverting them to a different place.”

其他地区组织

除了MINNCOR, numerous other area organizations work to connect justice-impacted individuals with resources.

公平机会及招聘资源 are a collaborative effort between 爱博体育手机版下载 and the 劳动力创新委员会 of 爱博体育手机版下载 to offer information, resources and events to help employers better understand the value of hiring individuals impacted by the criminal justice system.
明尼苏达州惩教署有几个再入服务和资源，比如明尼苏达过渡联盟.
重新提供动力, 以前的技术转储, is one of Minnesota’s largest e-waste collectors but is also a social enterprise that provides jobs and training for persons facing barriers to employment.
双子城!se has a mission “to transform the lives of those impacted by racial or socio-economic barriers through Personal Empowerment, 职业培训和有意义的就业.”
来自内心的艺术 is an organization founded by a correctional officer to allow incarcerated artists to express themselves through art and community exhibitions.
我们都是罪犯 is a Minnesota non-profit organization dedicated to challenging society’s perceptions of being “criminal.”