Some 850 ex-offenders attended a daylong job fair in the Cleveland suburb of Parma to find a job, says the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The event was organized by Breaking the Cycle Inc., which offers support services to ex-offenders. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said 25 percent, or about 6,750, of Ohio’s approximately 27,000 inmates found verifiable employment during the last fiscal year
State corrections spokeswoman Julie Walburn said her the department offers voluntary education programs to inmates. “There are all types of barriers that prevent people from getting jobs, especially with the economy,” Walburn said. “The inmate has to have the motivation and desire to participate in programs that can help them once they are released.” Said one ex-offender: “A lot of times people don’t call you back. It’s like I’m still being punished eight years later, but I’m not going to give up.”