Hiring Ex-Offenders as Part of Workforce Philosophy

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Objective: The purpose of this case study is to showcase how an anchor institution – Johns Hopkins – has found success in training ex-offenders and then finding them employment within the Johns Hopkins Health System.

Main Topic: Anchor Institution
Sub Topic: Employer
Sub-Sub Topic: Workforce Development

Geography: Baltimore, MD
Major Participants: Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS), U.S. Department of Justice, assorted local nonprofits who served as partners in the program

Background: Each year, there are as many ex-offenders released from Maryland’s prisons as are employed at the Johns Hopkins medical complex in East Baltimore. JHHS sought to find ways to reintegrate these people back in to society through meaningful employment with the institution—thus reducing rates of recidivism.

The challenge: The Johns Hopkins Hospital’s human resources department has long been challenged to find enough qualified workers to meet its ever growing needs. They realized that soon, there would not be enough workers for the jobs they needed to fill. Part of their recruitment strategy became to hire a non-traditional population: including ex-offenders.

How it happened: Hopkins already had a policy in place where it carefully screens all prospective employees including running background checks. When the background check reveals a criminal background, Hopkins reviews the infraction, severity and time elapsed since the person committed the offense. Specific guidelines are in place for hiring offenders (i.e. violent crime may not be considered, but each case is reviewed individually).

To be clear, this is not an affirmative action policy for ex-offenders; instead it is a strategy where ex-offenders are not automatically ruled out as prospective employees given their criminal history. The offenders must show they are qualified for employment; the human resources department with the support of the Security Department then places them in positions that are appropriate for their skill sets.

Pamela Paulk, vice president of human resources at Hopkins, explains that the focus on helping ex-offenders creates shared value for the entire community. “Focusing on ex-offenders in a time of high unemployment may strike some as misguided, but we disagree. As an anchor institution in East Baltimore, we must provide stability to our entire community, and keeping ex-offenders employed clearly benefits the community… If more of those returning prisoners were trained and earning a living, our streets would be safer and our communities would be stronger,” she writes.

Results for East Baltimore Economy: In 2010, five percent of Hopkins’ 2,000 new hires – or 100 people – had a criminal record, some with multiple offenses. Most secured entry-level positions, but some were placed in highly-skilled work. Retention has also been strong. One-year retention rates are at least as strong as traditional employees (80% retention). A random sample looked at 79 offenders who worked for JHM from 2000-2005. Of these employees, 73 still worked for JHM and only one person from the sample had been involuntary terminated.

Hopkins works with local community partners, such as homeless shelters and faith-based groups to provide additional services. These local partners also offered mentoring and coaching sessions for the ex-offenders.

Lessons Learned: Two things have been critical to the initiative’s success. First, it was important to educate people about the initiative, both internally and externally. Internally, it helped settle fears that ex-offenders were not safe to hire. Fortunately, JHHS was open-minded and there was limited opposition once educated. Externally, being open and honest about their workforce philosophy has resulted in a high number of referrals.

Second, it was important to keep the offenders’ records private. Managers are not told that the person has a criminal background; only human resources and security know about the offenders. This prevents prejudice and ensures the initiative’s integrity.
 

Last Updated on January 20th, 2012

TAGS: johns hopkins | employer | workforce development | shared value | baltimore | anchors | workforce