
Image credit: Artwork by Ernesto Yerena.
It’s been over 50 years since the era of mass incarceration started in the United States. Over the past decade, and especially in the pandemic, California has made major changes in its criminal justice system to reduce its prison population and sentences. But it has been slower to develop and invest in new systems to support Californians as they transition out of jail or prison into workplaces. What are the best ideas and models for finding good jobs for the formerly incarcerated? How can we improve the low pay and challenging working conditions in those industries that are most likely to employ people who have been in the system? And what policies and economic changes would open more possible career paths and economic opportunities for this population?
Amity Foundation president and CEO Doug Bond, Root & Rebound executive director Carmen Garcia, and Anti-Recidivism Coalition executive director Sam Lewis visit Zócalo to discuss how to build better career pathways for formerly incarcerated people.
Zócalo invites our in-person audience to continue the conversation with our speakers and each other at a post-event reception with complimentary drinks and small bites.
Live simultaneous ASL and Spanish translation of the discussion will be provided.
“What Is a Good Job Now?” is a series supported by The James Irvine Foundation, focusing on workers in the low-wage sectors of California’s economy, in communities across the state. Public programs and essays, grounded in workers’ experiences and realities, will explore how to make the hardest jobs more rewarding, and make life better for those who do them.
More Events in this Series
“What Is a Good Job Now?” In Agriculture
Details to be announced soon! Register to receive updates. The advance of technology and the decline of immigration have profoundly changed the nature of agricultural work. But toiling in the fields remains difficult and dangerous, even as it requires more mechanical expertise from workers. And agricultural work remains seasonal, forcing repeated relocations and putting financial and housing pressures on working …
“What Is a Good Job Now?” In Gig Work
Details to be announced soon! Register to receive updates. The gig economy has been celebrated for providing flexibility and extra income to a wide variety of workers at different stages of their lives. But many in the gig economy share awful working conditions: low take-home pay, dangerously long hours, skimpy benefits, constant surveillance, and few clear avenues for complaining about …