Center for Justice & Economic Advancement - Jobs for the Future (JFF)

Practices & Centers

Breaking down systemic barriers and creating economic advancement for people with criminal records.

Every person with a record should have a fair chance to secure a quality job and a better life.

People with records face persistent barriers to success in education and the workforce because of policies and practices that exclude them from quality jobs matching their skills and aspirations. This leaves 70 million people on the sidelines of the labor market.

Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement partners with employers, education and training providers, corrections agencies, and others to promote education, training, and fair chance hiring for people in corrections facilities and in communities. We work with state and federal policymakers to advocate for policy changes and share best practices so people with records can secure quality jobs.

Key Initiatives

Normalizing Opportunity Policy Agenda

We advocate for state and federal policy solutions that remove barriers and establish conditions that create equitable economic advancement for people with records.

Fair Chance Employment Initiatives

Our Fair Chance Corporate Cohort helps employers tap into a diverse pool of talent and create an inclusive environment so individuals with records thrive in the workplace.

Postsecondary Attainment and Talent Development

Working with education institutions, corrections agencies, and workforce systems, we promote models, practices, and policies that ensure people with records can access high-quality credentials in corrections and in communities.

News & Ideas

Report Normalizing Opportunity: A Policy Agenda to Promote Economic Advancement for People With Criminal Records

JFF calls on policymakers to break down barriers to economic opportunity—and establish policies that create equitable economic advancement—for the 70 million people in the United States with criminal records.

In the News Licensing barriers keep people with criminal records from education and training

Brandi Mandato, a senior director in Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement, was recently quoted in a Washington Post article about the barriers people who have been incarcerated face when they try to attain professional licenses.

Blog Collateral Consequences: A Four-Year Sentence, A Lifetime of Barriers

When people with records leave prison, they face endless regulations that limit their ability to rebuild a stable life. It’s time to eliminate those barriers and give people a fair chance.

Report Freedom to Achieve: Pathways and Practices for Economic Advancement After Incarceration

Hiring people who have been incarcerated and have a record has never been a priority in the United States. Finding any job is difficult for people who were once incarcerated, but finding a sustainable, family-supporting job is nearly impossible.

In the News Connecting talented individuals to available jobs

Genevieve Martin, a senior director in JFF’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement, tells SHRM that “employers require support to understand the benefits, practices, and implementation strategies needed to truly embrace” fair chance hiring for people with records.

Press Release JFF Launches Community of Practice to Expand Career and Technical Education Programs in Prisons

Career and technical education opportunities for people who are incarcerated will soon increase thanks in part to a new program led by JFF.

Impact Stories

Blog When Practice Isn't Enough: Why Fair Chance Hiring Requires Policy Change

To build a truly equitable and antiracist economic recovery, fair chance hiring practices need to be more than just a matter of employer preference. Policy changes, at the state and federal levels, are a critical step in creating opportunities for people with criminal records, and growth for the national economy.

Blog Fair Chance Hiring Even Better With Fair Chance Training

When industry and labor organizations use their collective power to encourage not only hiring people with criminal records but also preparing this population for high-quality jobs, employers and workers both benefit.

Blog A Successful Post-Prison Reentry, With Support at Every Step

One year out of prison, Chicago’s Jackie Helm is happily employed, thanks to a transition program for people with criminal records and employers willing to assess on skills, not stereotypes. Our experts offer five key strategies to ensure people with records get a fair chance.

Team

Lucretia Murphy, Vice President

Lucretia Murphy is vice president of the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement at JFF. She leads solutions that break down systemic barriers for people with criminal records and help everyone advance economically.

Brandi Mandato, Senior Director

Brandi Mandato is a senior director in the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement at JFF. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the field of economic and workforce justice.

Genevieve Martin, Senior Director

Genevieve Martin is a senior director in the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement at JFF. A member of the employer initiatives, she drives the creation and growth of national efforts to expand employment opportunities for people with conviction histories.

Rebecca Villarreal, Senior Director

Rebecca Villarreal is a senior director in the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement at JFF. She is responsible for helping stakeholders remove structural barriers that systematically exclude the more than 70 million people in the United States with criminal records from opportunities for economic advancement.

Learn more

The Center for Justice & Economic Advancement and our network of expert partners are available to help you learn about fair chance hiring, develop effective models of postsecondary education in prisons, advocate for policies that normalize opportunity, and more. Contact us to learn more about how you can partner with us or support our work, and subscribe for updates.

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