The Jewish Vocational Services 

Women Offender Reentry Collaborative 

A Practitioner’s “Blueprint” 

for Replication 

Prepared for 

Evan Rosenberg 

Division of Youth Services 

U.S. Department of Labor-ETA 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20210 

Prepared by 

Rebecca Zarch 

Glen Schneider 

Abt Associates, Inc. 

55 Wheeler Street 

Cambridge, MA 02138 

June 2007
......1 

The Jewish Vocational Services 

Women Offender Reentry Collaborative 

A Practitioner’s “Blueprint” for Replication 

INTRODUCTION 

The mission of the Women Offender Reentry Collaborative (WORC) is to 

facilitate the reentry of female ex-offenders into the greater Boston labor 

market. The program model is unique in that it is designed to address the 

specific developmental challenges, emotional needs, and systemic barriers 

facing women as they transition from incarceration to the job market. 

WORC’s aim is to create a comprehensive, seamless reentry support 

system with multiple access points both before and after release. 

The US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration 

(ETA) funded WORC with a demonstration grant in 2005. In the ensuing 18 

months, the program has made significant strides towards the assembly of a 

broad array of community resources and the delivery of customized services 

to a population with highly diverse needs and interests. Consistent with its 

commitment to knowledge transfer and continuous program improvement, 

ETA has underwritten the development of the following “Blueprint for 

Replication,” prepared by Abt Associates, Inc. 

This document is designed to share the lessons learned from WORC with 

practitioners, including both organizations that are already serving similar 

populations and those considering expanding or modifying their service mix. 

The blueprint seeks to draw practical insight from WORC’s design, planning 

and operational experiences during its initial demonstration phase. While 

the blueprint emphasizes the most broadly applicable dimensions of the 

program, it is important to acknowledge that the conditions and contexts for 

replication will vary elsewhere. That is, there are clearly factors that shape 

the WORC model and program experience in a way that may be unique to 

the economic and social service environment of greater Boston: 

 WORC is operated by The Work Place (TWP), a Workforce Investment 

Act (WIA)-funded one-stop career center. The Work Place is highly 

experienced in serving special at-risk populations including ex-offenders. 

 The program operates in a market where social service options are 

abundant through many community and faith-based organizations. 

 Massachusetts has only three women’s correctional facilities, centralizing 

WORC’s target population. 
......2 

 Employers in Massachusetts have ready access to standard background 

checks that detail job applicants’ past involvement with the criminal 

justice system (CORI checks). 

These factors simply serve to underscore the need for practitioners to draw 

from this blueprint selectively in the context of their own programmatic 

environments. 

Overview of the Target Population 

Women represent the fastest growing segment of the prison population; 

currently growth of the female population is estimated to be more than twice 

that of the male population.1

 The dramatic growth of the female prison 

population has pushed facilities beyond capacity and left few pre-release 

resources available to address the critical challenge of productive reentry to 

society. 

Many incarcerated women grew up in single-parent homes where drugs and 

alcohol were abused.2

 About half of incarcerated women have an immediate 

family member who has also been incarcerated. Mental health concerns are 

common in this population, with nearly 1 in 6 women receiving medication 

prescribed for an emotional or mental condition while in prison. Survival 

offenses such as drug involvement and prostitution account for the vast 

majority of sentences among women. In many instances the sale and use of 

sex and/or illegal substances have become coping mechanisms stemming 

from a lifetime of poverty and physical and sexual abuse, often beginning at 

a young age. 

Many of WORC’s clients have low self-esteem and comparably fewer social 

supports (such as family and friends) than reentering men. Many women 

find that the only situations to return to are characterized by the unhealthy 

relationships with spouses and/or partners that led to their initial 

incarceration. Additionally it is commonplace for female ex-offenders to face 

a host of financial, legal, and emotional barriers related to reunification with 

or custody of their own children. Furthermore, these women tend to have 

less work experience than men, which further impedes reemployment. 

To serve this population effectively, programs must take an approach that 

addresses women’s backgrounds, family issues, criminal charges, and 

length of incarceration. WORC has found that reentry programs for women 

must also place a heavy emphasis on providing emotional support. Many 

women leave prison with very low self-esteem, feelings of defeat and lack of 

emotional stamina. This can inhibit their progress towards employment, 

 

1

 Women’s Prison Association, News Release: Number of Female Prisoners Up 757 

Percent from 1977 to 2004. 

2

 Statistics in this and the next paragraph are drawn from T. Snell and D. Morton, 

Survey of State Prison Inmate: Women in Prison. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. 

Department of Justice, 1990. 
......3 

housing, reunification with children, and other important life goals. Through 

WORC, women find a space to address their emotional pain while making 

positive changes that can facilitate a successful transition into the workforce. 

Overview of the WORC Program 

The Women Offender Reentry Collaborative is a unique initiative of The 

Work Place (TWP), a Boston career one-stop center. TWP created WORC 

as a uniquely packaged set of services targeted to women ex-offenders 

reentering to the Boston area as a response to the rising number of female 

ex-offenders utilizing TWP. WORC offers up to two years of transitional 

support, often starting while clients are still incarcerated.3

 WORC career 

counselors provide pre-employment workshops in the correctional facilities 

as a way to establish a support structure that will facilitate women’s 

preparation for release and transition. Once a woman is released, she 

becomes eligible for intensive case management. WORC also recruits 

women from the greater community for program participation. After an 

orientation session, clients are matched with a career counselor. Together, 

the counselor and the client identify short-term, mid-range and long-term 

goals. These goals are continuously revised to provide a customized 

roadmap to employment that covers assembling basic work necessities 

(e.g., a valid form of identification, professional attire, a resume and cover 

letter) and integrates a customized array of work readiness, education, skill 

development, job placement, and social service resources. In pursuing their 

goals clients are provided with a high degree of personal and emotional 

support delivered through an integrated team of counselors/case managers, 

mentors, and clinicians. 

WORC’s model currently allows for approximately 120 women to be served 

each year with the following staff mix: 

 The program manager oversees the implementation of the grant, 

supervises staff, and develops relationships with community partners. 

 Two career counselors both act as case managers and provide workreadiness training and workshops. 

 A clinician runs psychosocial support groups and provides individual 

therapy on an “as needed” basis. 

 A mentor coordinator recruits mentors and facilitates the mentoring 

relationships. 

 A job developer simultaneously cultivates relationships with employers 

and prepares prospective clients for the job search, application, and 

interview process. 

 

3

 The WORC model is designed for two years of support; however, the program has 

not been in operation long enough to implement and refine all aspects of the 

program model. 
......4 

To successfully recruit, serve and place clients, WORC has established both 

informal linkages and structured affiliation agreements with a range of public 

agencies, community social service providers and employers. Most notably, 

the program currently has strong relationships with the Massachusetts 

Department of Corrections (DOC), including the Parole Board and Office of 

Probation, two women’s correctional facilities, and two community-run 

halfway houses (one of which contracts with DOC). Additionally, WORC has 

assembled a referral network of community social service providers to 

address clients’ family support, mental health, substance abuse, and 

housing needs. 

PROGRAM COMPONENTS 

Assembling the Team 

Meeting the unique reentry needs of female ex-offenders requires 

collaboration among a broad array of community stakeholders that are 

committed to a common mission. In addition to the correctional and 

workforce development systems, the program draws on the full array of 

social and human service resources in the community. Tight budgets and 

competing priorities within all these sectors necessitate an emphasis on 

coordination, communication, and efficiency. WORC has successfully 

assembled a range of community resources and partners by emphasizing 

several basic strategies, summarized below. 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Championing the 

mission 

 The unique needs of female ex-offenders, coupled 

with their comparatively small numbers, often 

leave them underserved by mainstream workforce 

development and social service resources. This 

necessitates a dedicated champion that 

aggressively promotes awareness, assembles 

resources, and develops strategies for serving 

them. Critical competencies include: 

 A broad understanding of the needs of female 

ex-offenders and the resources available. 

 Knowledge of the workforce development 

system and support services available within 

the community. 

 The vision and ability to assemble resources 

around a common mission. 

 Persistence and patience to navigate 

established bureaucracies such as 

departments of correction. 
......5 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Identifying and 

securing community 

resources

 The efficacy of the WORC model is critically 

dependent on assembling and integrating an array 

of community resources that can support clients’ 

transitional and employment needs. WORC’s 

experience suggests that the commitment and 

support of partners and stakeholders is most 

effectively gained by implementing (formally or 

informally) select components of a community 

needs assessment to fully understand the program 

context, available resources and “gaps” to be 

filled. Several key steps are discussed below: 

Understanding the program context. WORC 

program staff are well versed in the broader

challenge of transitioning female ex-offenders 

back into society as well as the labor market. Not 

only have they developed insight into the 

economic and personal benefits of success, they 

fully understand the potential costs of inaction. 

This “big picture” insight has been gained through 

careful monitoring of related literature and 

information sharing with other practitioners as well 

as monitoring the broader menu of services 

provided through TWP. This perspective is critical 

in that it provides an informed and persuasive 

context for approaching prospective partners and 

gathering support for WORC’s mission. 

Assessing community resources and gaps. A 

systematic review of existing resources, existing 

relationships, and unmet community needs is the 

foundation for program development. Through the 

monitoring of its ongoing offerings TWP began to 

notice an increase in the demand for reentry 

services. An informal review of the human service 

landscape coupled with the services already 

available through TWP suggested that a dedicated 

program model and service partnership could be 

readily pursued in greater Boston. In locations 

where program services may be less prevalent 

and/or less centralized, practitioners may need to 

engage in a more deliberate process of identifying 

either service “gaps” or weak institutional 

relationships that may influence the direct 

replicability of the WORC model. 
......6 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Building “win/win” relationships. WORC

approaches prospective partners with a clear 

vision of how each organization can support its 

own mission and client base by collaborating with 

WORC. To the extent feasible, WORC seeks to 

underscore a “win/win” sharing of resources. For 

example, many WORC residents live at halfway 

houses where employment is required. Through 

its connections to the one-stop career center, 

WORC is able to offer comprehensive support that 

leads to stronger employment outcomes. WORC 

also coordinates with the halfway houses to 

ensure consistent and complete support around 

logistical and social needs such as long-term 

housing, which in turn supports a women’s ability 

to sustain employment. 

WORC has established a similar win/win 

relationship with the Probations Department. 

Violation of probation requirements is the leading 

cause of recidivism, and employment is often one 

of the primary probation requirements. As 

probation caseloads rise, the probation 

department’s primary responsibility inevitably 

becomes compliance tracking, rather than 

connecting probationers to employment 

opportunities. Through its collaboration with 

WORC, the Probation Department is assured that 

its clients’ employment needs are being addressed 

as well as additional social service needs that 

impact employability. This attention in turn frees 

up time for its core monitoring responsibilities. 

WORC also benefits from this relationship 

because probation officers have become a 

consistent source of referrals of clients and active 

program advocates. 

WORC’s sensitivity to diverse organizational 

cultures, program philosophies, and approaches 

furthers its ability to create win/win relationships. 

WORC has made a concerted effort to develop a 

clear understanding and respect for the unique 

characteristics and constraints of each 

collaborator in an effort to facilitate their 

involvement. The careful use of language is a 

clear example of this approach. For instance, 

when WORC communicates with the Department 

of Corrections, it uses the term “offender” to refer 
......7 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

to the participant; at halfway houses it uses the 

term “resident” or “client”; and internally, the 

woman is referred to as a “customer.” 

Establishing a 

flexible level of 

partner integration 

 WORC has sought to build a community 

partnership based on a series of individually 

managed relationships. While Memorandums of 

Understanding (MOUs) are in place, the 

operational philosophy is to avoid overly 

formalized and burdensome processes. This 

allows the collaborating partners to: 

 Contribute at a practical, realistic level. 

 Maintain their own identity—this is important 

when members of the network have different 

stakeholders, funders, and clients. 

 Minimize administrative and program 

demands. 

The flexibility and individual communication 

management aspects of the partnerships support 

the diverse needs of WORC’s client base. 

Minimizing partner 

burden 

 While WORC has developed individualized 

relationships with many community resources, it 

nonetheless remains aware of the need to operate 

efficiently while limiting burden on itself and its 

partner organizations. To this end WORC has 

sought to: 

Clearly define expectations and responsibilities. 

Identify the skills, resources, and needs of each 

collaborator to use them efficiently and effectively.

Limit paperwork requirements. Require paperwork 

only when it facilitates communication, reporting, 

or provision of services to participants. 

Regularly share information. Provide all 

community partners with the opportunity to support 

WORC and its mission from a common base of 

information, insight and progress. For example, 

the WORC program coordinator routinely 

communicates with partner and referral 

organizations via email, phone and occasional site 

visits to maintain program currency and discuss 

specific client concerns. Upon entry to the 

program, clients sign confidentiality release forms 
......8 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

for the DOC, schools, parole officers, employers 

and any other relevant agencies with which they 

are involved to allow for productive conversations 

across agency lines.

Setting the Tone 

Program culture is defined by its values together with the experience and 

expectations of the participants. Merging a diverse set of service delivery 

providers with different missions, values and services so that female exoffenders feel supported, respected and valued is a critical challenge that 

can potentially influence client buy-in and ultimately, program success. 

WORC’s operational philosophy considers the client to be the consumer of 

WORC services, thereby shifting power and responsibility from program to 

client and enabling the ex-offender to drive her own progress. To this end, 

WORC has implemented a highly participatory design in which the client and 

career counselor work together to develop an individualized plan based on 

needs, goals and the client’s personal commitment to securing employment. 

This participatory nature distinguishes the WORC program from other 

institutions and authorities to which the client must be responsive and 

compliant. Strategies used by WORC to help set the proper program “tone” 

are discussed below. 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Developing trust 

between staff and 

participants

 Trust is critical when working with a marginalized 

population. Many of the female ex-offenders have 

been conditioned to be suspicious of programs 

and institutions. WORC has successfully 

developed trust between the program and clients 

by emphasizing three key ingredients: 

Interpersonal connections. WORC operates on 

the principle that clients require a personal 

connection with another individual that is 

validating and supportive before they are able to 

address a range of psychosocial needs related to 

employment. This requires focusing on the 

“whole” person, not just the job seeker. For 

example, making a connection around the shared 

challenge of parenting can be an entryway into a 

woman’s life for staff. 

Consistency. Consistency is critical for building 

trust among a population that may have been let 

down by family, friends, and institutional settings in 

the past. WORC has become an important source
......9 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

of consistency through its persistence and 

reliability in maintaining relationships with clients. 

WORC clients often have competing multiple 

demands on their time. To maintain the 

relationship with this transient and often 

overwhelmed population, WORC takes the 

initiative to send out bi-weekly mailings to all 

registered participants including calendars of 

events, newsletters, program announcements and 

updates. This approach keeps clients engaged 

and reminds them that WORC services are always 

available. This persistence is built into WORC’s 

participation policies where it is specified that a 

client remains enrolled until there is confirmed 

substance abuse relapse, the client is reincarcerated or there has been no contact 

(disconnected phone and mail is returned from the 

last known address). 

It should further be noted that many WORC clients 

have been failed by family, schools, and other 

social service institutions and may be wary of 

another program. WORC distinguishes itself by 

following through on all obligations. When a 

career counselor makes a promise, for example, 

to get a client’s birth certificate so she can get 

identification, the counselor must follow through. 

Personal respect. When a woman comes from an 

institutionalized setting, it is important to treat her 

with respect in order to prove that this environment 

is different than an institution. The WORC 

program has institutionalized this principle by 

promoting the active participation of women in all 

program processes and decisions that involve 

their time and course of action. This empowers 

clients and supports responsibility (see next 

section). 

Empowering clients 

and supporting 

responsibility

 Women participating in WORC have come from 

institutional facilities where there is little freedom 

of choice. Fostering an environment that 

empowers women to take control of their lives 

supports the development of self-esteem and 

confidence, both of which are essential skills as 

women transition to the working world. At WORC, 

commitment to personal empowerment is primarily 
......10 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

fostered through the client-driven nature of 

services in which they work actively with career 

counselors to develop a highly customized reentry 

strategy. WORC’s commitment to personal 

empowerment is paired with an equal emphasis 

on personal responsibility. Clients sign a 

“Contract of Understanding” which highlights the 

responsibilities and expectations of the client as a 

consumer of WORC services including 

appointments, dress code and professional 

behavior. If a client is unable to meet her 

objectives, the experience is used as a teaching 

opportunity. 

Creating a stigmafree, professional 

environment

 A stigma-free, professional environment separates 

WORC from other institutional settings with which 

the client might be familiar. It establishes a sense 

of personal accountability while providing support 

in the case of failure. Creating this environment 

requires staff who are aware of the psychosocial 

issues female ex-offenders face, are culturally 

sensitive, and have appropriate training to support 

the client. WORC has combined these staff 

strengths with a physical environment that mirrors 

a professional setting: the staff dress neatly and 

expect punctuality and appropriate behavior. 

Acknowledging 

success 

 WORC clients face many challenges as they 

rebuild their lives. Once a client is released, she is 

in a constant state of transition. By acknowledging 

her incremental successes, WORC reminds 

clients that the program is a source of continued 

and reliable support through all points of her 

transition. WORC makes an effort to acknowledge 

every achievement a woman makes, be it a 

sustained period of sobriety, reunification with 

children, finding a job, or even landing an 

interview. This encouragement happens in the 

form of gift cards and announcement in the 

program newsletter. For example, when a woman 

works for a month, WORC may supply a gift card 

so she can purchase a suit, or if a woman moves 

into an apartment, a gift card may be given to help 

her acquire necessities for a new home. In 

addition to reinforcing personal success, this 

strategy serves to sustain and strengthen the 

critical client-counselor relationship. 
......11 

Recruiting Clients 

Grant provisions established by DOL have kept eligibility requirements to a 

minimum, the most stringent of which is being released from incarceration 

within the last year. While there is significant interest in the program among 

women who have received only probation and the providers that work with 

these women, the consensus is that this would stretch WORC resources too 

thin. Within these broad parameters, WORC’s aim is to serve those with the 

greatest barriers to employment, particularly clients for whom employment 

will be a particularly difficult challenge based on lack of work history or 

education, or criminal background. 

Recruiting female ex-offenders for WORC requires a deliberate approach 

with the following considerations: 

 First, in a program environment where trusting relationships are key, the 

initial outreach contact with the client sets the tone for subsequent 

interactions and shapes the client’s receptivity to and comfort with other 

components of the model. 

 Second, prospective clients have highly varied needs, priorities, and 

motivations that shape their interest (or lack thereof) in WORC services 

and support. 

 Third, many qualify for other support services (such as through the 

Department of Mental Health), or may decide to seek employment in 

other parts of the state, precluding their participation in WORC. 

To best work within this challenging environment, WORC has adopted a twopronged recruitment strategy. The primary strategy is to recruit from day 

one of incarceration. This allows WORC staff to make an initial assessment 

of how appropriate a client is for the WORC program and to create a 

relationship that promotes follow-through by developing action steps to be 

taken upon release. For clients not enrolled while in prison, WORC’s 

strategy is to sustain the outreach process on familiar ground after their 

release (e.g., housing sites, probation offices). This ensures that the WORC 

program is credibly linked to a prominent component of their life outside of 

prison. These strategies are explained below. 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Reaching the client 

before release

In-reach services are offered to women while they 

are still incarcerated, allowing them to enroll in the 

WORC program before they are released. 

According to stakeholders of WORC, reentry 

planning needs to begin the day a woman is 

incarcerated. The most common cause of reincarceration is parole violations. Having a plan 

and a support system established before a client is 

released makes the transition easier and reduces 

the risk of recidivism. 
......12 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Within two Boston area women’s facilities WORC 

runs a series of pre-employment workshops 

covering an array of discrete topics such as 

resume writing, interviewing skills, and mock job 

fairs. To maximize resources, these workshops 

are open to all inmates who expect to return to 

Boston within the next year. These women are 

allowed to join at any point in the series, thereby 

accommodating a revolving population and 

minimizing screening burden for DOC. In-reach 

services have three purposes: 

 Develop practical relationships with the WORC 

career counselors that continue upon release. 

WORC has found that by connecting with 

women through workshops, providing action 

steps to be taken upon release and promoting 

a relationship with the WORC counselors, 

clients are more likely to follow up with 

services once released. 

 Motivate incarcerated women to use their time 

inside to productively prepare for employment 

by participating in facility-sponsored activities 

such as training, education, and psychosocial 

programs. 

 Amass contact information. Enrollment during 

incarceration requires clients to provide 

information, which is utilized upon their release 

to track and engage women in WORC 

services. 

The logistics of engaging women through program 

in-reach services can be challenging. Planning 

and scheduling considerations must account for 

the prevalence of ongoing activities, established 

time commitments and competing priorities that 

may influence the facilities’ willingness to further 

engage inmates around transitional or 

reemployment issues. WORC’s strategy has been 

to: 

 Include the Department of Corrections in the 

planning process. Collaborating with DOC to 

discussed needs and constraints created a 

constructive forum for dialog. 

 Seek mutually beneficial “win/win” agreements. 

For example, WORC originally agreed to 

conduct pre-employment workshops for all 
......13 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

women in the facility, regardless of sentence 

length or planned geographic location upon 

release. As the reputation of the workshops 

grew, so did the number of women enrolling. 

The popularity and perceived value of these 

workshops enhanced the program’s credibility 

and fostered an environment within DOC that 

was ultimately more supportive of targeting 

program resources to those likely to continue 

with WORC services upon release. 

Reaching women on 

familiar ground

 Women are more likely to make a time 

commitment if they are encouraged and guided by 

a known entity. For female ex-offenders in 

Boston, the probation and parole offices and select 

halfway houses are generally seen as sources of 

guidance and provide necessary structure for 

follow-through. To reach women involved with the 

halfway houses, WORC operates clinical group 

counseling at the homes. Building relationships on 

the women’s “home turf” offers a comfort level that 

can encourage them to seek out additional 

services with a basic sense of familiarity and 

direction. Building awareness of WORC through 

these counseling sessions will ideally motivate 

women to attend an orientation session and get 

connected with a career counselor. 

Twice a week, all eligible women are invited to 

come to a drop-in orientation to learn about the 

program in a non-threatening environment. Upon 

request, the women can then schedule an 

appointment with a career counselor to begin 

designing a customized program. 

Securing the 

commitment of new 

clients 

 Rapidly responding to clients’ immediate needs 

creates an environment of client trust and 

satisfaction. During the initial appointment with a 

career counselor, the client is guided through a 

discussion of immediate needs and interests both 

in employment and training, and other areas 

critical for successful reentry such as housing and 

reunification with children. At the end of this 

meeting a preliminary action plan is in place. This 

plan may include an application for proper 

identification, a complete resume and cover letter, 

or a commitment from the career counselor to 

research training opportunities in a specific field. 
......14 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

By immediately addressing their most pressing 

needs, clients make progress towards their 

ultimate goals and learn that WORC is a valuable 

and supportive resource. 

Providing Participant Support and Guidance 

Under the WORC model, individualized case management is the 

cornerstone for implementing the personalized program approach and 

maintaining a highly supportive program culture. The career counselors who 

handle the caseload simultaneously address both emotional and jobreadiness barriers that potentially impede the client’s ability to seek, obtain 

and sustain employment and career growth. An individualized plan is 

developed with the client and implemented through a team approach led by 

the career counselors with support from mentors and clinical support staff. 

Key components of the participant support and guidance system are outlined 

below. 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Promoting ownership 

in an individualized 

plan 

A woman newly released from prison is typically 

not used to being treated as an individual. Case 

management prioritizes one-on-one time with the 

client to establish a relationship built on trust and 

respect. This personalized relationship is what 

ultimately allows the career counselor to conduct 

an in-depth and honest individualized assessment. 

A WORC application completed by the client 

provides the career counselor with background 

information concerning income, housing, family 

status, substance abuse, legal history, education 

and employment background. 

The application and the career counselor’s 

assessment lead to the preparation of an 

individualized and flexible Client Action Plan

(CAP), which is a personalized “road map” to 

successful employment. A broad menu of 

education, training, and social service resources 

are available through The Work Place and 

community partners that support a transition 

strategy for each client that addresses immediate, 

short-term, mid-range and long-term goals. Under 

the WORC model, the CAP is developed by the 

career counselor in close collaboration with the 
......15 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

client to ensure her personal ownership and 

investment in the plan. The CAP is revised as 

goals are met. 

Providing emotional 

support through 

mentors and 

clinicians 

 For the female ex-offender, emotional 

development is often the most daunting challenge 

of the reemployment process. Many of the women 

lack sufficient self-esteem to take the risk of 

applying for a job. Moreover, they may be used to 

representing themselves to other inmates, not 

potential employers. As such, they can come 

across as mean and defensive, particularly when 

asked questions, such as in a job interview. 

Clients may also feel overwhelmed by the 

everyday challenges associated with 

transportation, childcare and sobriety. To address 

these barriers, the WORC design places 

significant emphasis on the use of mentors and 

clinical counselors who provide emotional support, 

model appropriate social interactions and offer 

practical advice about the social and institutional 

challenges facing their clients. 

Mentors are critical team members who provide 

less formal relationships outside of the office 

setting. Mentoring relationships provide an 

opportunity for the client to develop a healthy adult 

relationship. As the client transitions into 

employment, the mentor can provide ongoing 

support and guidance, helping the client strategize 

plans for success in family and community life, 

sobriety, and work. Currently WORC collaborates 

with a faith-based agency to recruit mentors from 

the community. Mentors and clients complete the 

same application form so they are matched on 

availability, interests, and past experiences. 

A team clinician offers clients both therapeutic 

consultation and group psychoeducational 

workshops on parenting, conflict resolution, and 

anger management. The clinician also makes 

referrals to long-term therapy and other social 

support services, as the client requires. 

The mentoring and clinical services are critical to 

the WORC program design, but have been difficult 

to run at capacity. The greatest challenge has 

been marketing the services to the clients. Most 
......16 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

clients are dealing with obligations to multiple 

parties (e.g., probations, parole, halfway houses 

and custody requirements), making these 

additional support services seem to be an 

extraneous burden. WORC is addressing this by 

making the mentors and clinician more visible 

through attendance at WORC retreats and events. 

This strategy allows the clients to connect to these 

resources in a natural setting, allowing the 

relationship to grow through a more “organic” 

process. 

Building an external 

social service 

support network 

 WORC focuses resources on case management 

and job development while relying on TWP for 

employment and life-skills workshops, Internet 

access and its job resource library. However, 

many clients have additional needs that reach 

beyond the capabilities of the in-house team. 

These typically include housing, physical and 

mental health care, substance abuse treatment, 

and publicly funded training and education 

programs. 

In instances when client needs exceed the 

capacity of TWP, career counselors refer women 

to other community organizations. Networking, 

maintaining relationships and sharing information 

internally creates an active and accurate referral 

network, leading to timely access to resources. 

Sustaining the 

program connection 

 Sustaining contact with the client is an integral part 

of the program. WORC’s policy is to immediately 

initiate contact with clients who have disengaged 

(either missed an appointment or have not 

returned to the program). Though this population 

is highly transient, WORC is successful through its 

sophisticated client tracking system, which 

includes: 

 Collecting contact information for friends and 

family. 

 Maintaining contact with probation/ parole 

officers, employers, and other agencies with 

which the client is working. 
......17 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

 Maintaining regular contact with clients through 

mail, phone and personal interaction, 

especially those who are using WORC 

services less frequently. 

 Using the state tracking system for WIAinvolved individuals. 

Sustained contact allows WORC to support clients 

who have relapsed or gotten discouraged as well 

as women who have secured employment. 

WORC strives to offer continued support and 

career guidance throughout a client’s transition 

back into the community. 

Maintaining 

consistent personal 

support through a 

team approach 

 Building individual relationships based on trust and 

stability is a signature feature of the WORC 

philosophy and program design. Nonetheless, 

staff turnover is common within the social service 

sector and poses a persistent threat to established 

client relationships. The perceived loss of support 

can damage a relationship with a woman who may 

feel abandoned when a key program contact takes 

a new job. WORC’s strategy of supporting clients 

through multiple relationships (e.g., career 

counselor, mentor, clinician) minimizes the 

adverse impacts of staff turnover. Furthermore, 

WORC’s emphasis on personal “ownership” of 

their plan provides for additional consistency and 

continuity. 

Developing an Employability Strategy 

WORC’s primary goal is to assist women in their transition from incarceration 

to sustainable and meaningful employment. Women enter the program with 

different priorities such as reunification with children, sobriety, or finding 

permanent housing. While these priorities are actively addressed within the 

career counseling relationship, almost all women need a job immediately to 

satisfy housing and/or probation/parole requirements. Therefore, the career 

counselors consistently emphasize the full range of work readiness skills, 

education, and job training needed to successfully pursue employment. 

WORC’s programmatic link to a WIA-funded one-stop career center provides 

an effective operational context for integrating these key program 

components into the overall service model. These essential developmental 

and support strategies are summarized below. 
......18 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Enhancing 

employment 

readiness through 

“life skills”

 Many women transitioning from incarceration must 

re-acclimate to the working world and often to 

society at large. Some may actually have never 

had a job. Group workshops and individual 

sessions help the client understand how she 

presents herself to the world through her physical 

appearance, attitude, and emotional outlook. 

These factors are carefully examined in the 

context of employers’ expectations. Based on the 

issues raised in their action plans, clients are 

supported in the development of variety of “life 

skills” including: 

 Budgeting 

 Punctuality 

 Boundaries in the workplace 

 Appropriate presentation skills 

 Anger management 

 Self-regulation and coping skills 

 Parenting skills 

The career counselor connects the client to 

appropriate workshops and offers reinforcement 

for the lessons being taught. 

Whenever possible, WORC strives to integrate its 

clients into “mainstream” settings. Increasing the 

client’s comfort level with a range of people and 

settings to preparing clients for a professional 

milieu. WORC counselors provide clients with 

individually appropriate levels of support as they 

transition into these environments. Support 

ranges from a verbal referral to a career counselor 

escort to the initial meetings/workshops. This 

flexible approach system allows for a seamless 

transition for clients. 

Building realistic job 

competencies

 Building basic educational and workplace 

competencies is a critical dimension of any 

reemployment program. This program function is 

particularly challenging when serving female exoffenders who have limited education, training and 

work experience combined with low self-esteem 

and a limited set of employment options. 

WORC, through its direct connection with TWP, 

can offer women an appropriate range of 
......19 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

education and training opportunities that reflect 

their needs, interests, and life circumstances. The 

underlying philosophy that distinguishes the 

WORC approach, however, is its commitment to 

being realistic and honest about the career options 

available to clients. Specifically, WORC 

recognizes the importance of: 

Counseling clients on the realities of the job 

market. WORC clearly communicates that, 

regardless of clients’ experience or interests, they 

are no longer operating with a full set of choices. 

Traditionally, women have held positions in child 

and healthcare; with a criminal record these 

positions are closed to them. In Massachusetts, 

however, the hospitality industry has been open to 

female ex-offenders. 

Developing skills where there are known 

shortages. One example is building and 

construction trades where skill shortages are 

compounded by continuous turnover. 

Traditionally, this sector of the job market has 

been open to ex-offenders. While this training 

option has been only minimally used, its 

availability underscores the need to build skills 

where there is demand even if they are in nontraditional occupations or male-dominated sectors 

of the job market. 

Balancing immediate 

placement with 

sustained support 

 Immediate employment is often a condition of 

probation/parole, housing, and/or regaining 

custody of children. These circumstances often 

preclude the immediate pursuit of any protracted 

job-related training. Nonetheless, WORC routinely 

connects its clients with: 

 Resume writing, job searching, and 

interviewing training. 

 Coaching on how to address background 

checks during the application process. 

Once a woman is employed, the career counselor 

and mentor maintain contact to support the client’s 

transition to the working world. When the stress of 

immediate employment is alleviated, many clients 

are more open to exploring long-term options. 
......20 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Introducing a 

Transitional 

Employment option 

for the hardest to 

place 

 External pressures to find immediate employment 

often limit the options for training, education, or 

career development. For clients who are 

particularly difficult to place, WORC is introducing 

a Transitional Employment Program in which a 

client participates in two weeks of intensive job 

readiness training followed by three months of 

employment with wages subsidized by WORC. 

This program provides close monitoring and 

guidance as the client enters the working world. 

Employers are often reluctant to hire women with 

criminal records and little work experience. The 

subsidized wage and personnel support WORC 

provides reduce the level of risk perceived by 

prospective employers. 

Reaching the Employer Community 

The successes of all workforce development models ultimately lie in their 

capacity to effectively address the needs and priorities of both the job seeker 

and the prospective employer. Despite the growing awareness of the 

importance of dual customer strategies, programs serving at-risk populations 

have historically placed comparatively less emphasis on employer outreach, 

communication, and involvement. WORC recognizes the importance of 

basic “demand driven” strategies to develop stronger connections with 

prospective employer/customers. 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

Implementing basic 

demand-driven 

strategies to connect 

with more 

prospective 

employers

Relationship building. TWP has a history of 

developing business relationships characterized 

by trust and credibility. Building on the credibility 

of TWP, WORC has further developed marketing 

relationships with employers amenable to hiring 

ex-offenders. WORC has found that relationships 

with individual employers have been more 

successful than agreements at the corporate level. 

For example, marketing to a chain fast food 

company has not been as effective as working 

with individual operators. Working face-to-face 

with potential employers can develop a lasting 

referral relationship. 

Financial incentives. Ultimately employers are 

most successfully engaged when it benefits them 

financially. To this end, WORC has actively 

promoted the availability of federal tax and 

insurance benefits available to employers who hire 
......21 

Strategies for Success Discussion 

ex-offenders. Examples include the federal 

bonding program, business tax credits, and state 

programs subsidizing employee wages for this 

population. 

Employer education. In Massachusetts, 

background checks are easily accessible to 

employers. However, it is widely acknowledged 

that the format of the report is complicated to read 

and often misleading. Educating employers about 

reading and interpreting the background check 

(CORI Form) has been an effective way to ensure 

that WORC clients get full consideration. At the 

same time, this investment contributes to the 

ongoing process of building relationships with local 

employers. WORC has also worked towards 

state-level change in the accessibility and format 

of background checks. 

Marketing to employer needs. Traditionally, social 

service providers have had difficulty reconciling 

their passionate focus on clients with the need to 

“market” participants to employers who are less 

enthusiastic about them. WORC approaches 

employers with a value-added proposition of less 

expensive labor with built-in oversight and support. 

Integration of business values. Effective outreach 

to employers requires an understanding of, and 

commitment to business values that emphasize 

reliability, simplicity, and efficiency. These values 

provide a backdrop to clients’ life skills education 

and serve to establish WORC as an initiative that 

is reflective of employer priorities. 

CONCLUSION

The Replication Blueprint highlights a number of program design and 

operational features that warrant serious review among practitioners serving 

(or planning to serve) female ex-offenders. Several program characteristics 

are particularly noteworthy: 

 A committed community partnership that provides the resources and 

stakeholder support needed to offer participants a comprehensive array 

of education, workforce development, social service and counseling 

services 
......22 

 Organizational and staff flexibility to support participants whose interest 

in, or need for employment may be shaped by more pressing needs of 

(for instance) reunification with children, sobriety or finding housing 

 An enrollment strategy that ensures that prospective participants are 

afforded the opportunity, support and direction needed to pursue a reemployment course from the earliest stages of incarceration 

 A highly individualized service strategy that integrates the proper blend 

of pre-employment “life-skills,” basic education, job skills and emotional 

support 

 A job development and placement strategy that emphasizes practical 

and realistic options for clients with criminal records 

 A clear “value proposition” that allows the program to market its services 

in a manner that provides a “win/win” opportunity for participants and 

prospective employers 

 Transitional and post-employment support that minimizes employer risk 

of hiring female ex-offenders 

It is equally important to emphasize that the success of the model is 

dependent on the environment and tone in which it operates. To this end, 

the program has developed and trained staff that can provide maximum 

emotional support and personal validation for this highly vulnerable 

population through effective case management, personal and career 

counseling and mentoring. Under this highly supportive staffing model, the 

program has created a stigma-free environment in which women are allowed 

to learn, fail, be heard and have their successes acknowledged. Collectively 

this approach fosters the small and gradual personal victories that are critical 

to long-term success in the job market.