In 1995, the Legislature provided funds to expand the program to the Texas Youth Commission. The following year, Project RIO-Y started serving incarcerated youth ages 16 through 21. The multiagency initiative includes the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice- Institutional Division and Parole Division, the Texas Youth Commission and the Windham School District, which provides academic and vocational training to eligible incarcerated adults. Adults and youth can participate in Project RIO while still incarcerated. The Project RIO institutional staff assess current skills and examine future training, educational and placement needs.
Services are available up to a year after release or until the client is released from supervision.
Those who do participate enter work at a rate 28 percent higher than that of nonparticipants. In 1999, Project RIO served more than 20,000 adults and more than 800 youth. Statewide, more than 30,000 employers have hired Project RIO ex-offenders. Many employers repeatedly tap into the program for staffing because of positive experiences with previous Project RIO participants. Employers who hire ex-offenders can seek tax breaks under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.