The Education Subcommittee of the Blair County Prison Re-entry Coalition is planning a workshop to encourage local employers to hire former inmates.

The effort to promote “fair chance hiring practices” could include a panel discussion featuring employers who have had success with hiring inmates, according to Nikki McHugh, mental health program coordinator for the Blair County Department of Social Services, who spoke at the most recent coalition meeting.

Those employers experienced in fair chance hiring could share the “ups and downs — to be real,” McHugh said.

Fair chance hiring is “the practice of giving individuals with criminal records an equal opportunity,” according to an article from inchecksolutions.com.

There are many details to work out before convening the workshop, but it could make sense to include a class in fair chance hiring practices taught by a local agency expert and to schedule it to occur in connection with the PA CareerLink job fair in the fall, McHugh said.

Almost one in three U.S. adults — about 70 million people — have criminal records, and face “immense employment barriers” when looking for work, according to Checkr, an agency that provides background checks for employers.

The unemployment rate for former inmates is 27%, according to Checkr.

“By implementing Fair Chance hiring practices, employers can contribute to a more inclusive and just society,” the inchecksolutions article states. “They can help individuals with criminal records reintegrate into society, find stable employment and rebuild their lives.”

It isn’t only a matter of charity.

In Pennsylvania, the Criminal History Record Information Act prohibits employers from considering criminal histories in excluding applicants from consideration for work — except for felony and misdemeanor convictions that “relate to an applicant’s suitability for the position for which they have applied,” according to an online article from Mooney Law.

When employers use criminal history as a basis for rejecting an applicant, they must provide a written explanation of what they’ve done, including their reasoning, according to Mooney.

Housing Subcommittee

For now, the coalition’s Housing Subcommittee has begun to consider helping soon-to-be-released inmates from Blair County Prison who plan to settle outside the county, because money available to the subcommittee must be spent within the next several weeks — and there are no qualified inmates currently available who want to remain in-county, according to coalition member Tricia

Johnson, Blair County director of social services.

Possible help from Penn State

Coalition officials were preparing to meet late last week with faculty members from Penn State Altoona to discuss potential grants that could help advance the coalition’s mission, according to John Grove, member of the coalition and of the Pennsylvania Prison

Society.