Program Example

CEO offers a highly structured, job-focused “second chance” to people released from prison or jail. Intervening immediately after release, CEO provides rigorous pre-employment training, short term work crew experience, and long-term job development services leading to support through the first year of permanent employment.

Created as an innovative demonstration project by the Vera Institute of Justice in the late 1970s, CEO has been an independent nonprofit corporation since 1996. Each year CEO serves more than 2,000 individuals released from New York State prisons and—more recently—New York City’s jail system, Rikers Island. Ninety percent of CEO’s clients are men, and many are under 30, with children and families they hope to reconnect with and support.

The CEO program involves seven structured steps to sustainable employment. Each participant begins the program by completing an orientation, intensive four-day “Life Skills” training workshop and initial meeting with their job counselor for an in-depth skills assessment. Participants are then put to work immediately on day-labor work crews. The crews are paid for by city and state agencies and involve a variety of assignments, including providing custodial services to government buildings, maintaining nature trails, painting classrooms, and cleaning up roadways. The program pays the crew members minimum wage at the end of each work day. While the participants are employed through this program, they continue to work with CEO staff on job readiness and eventual placement in full-time unsubsidized employment. CEO specializes in finding jobs in customer service, food industries, manufacturing, office support, and semi-skilled trades. CEO also provides a range of post-placement support services for a minimum of 12 months, and has developed an expansive employment network with government agencies and a number of private sector employers.