"We must not believe the many, who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free." ~ Epictetus (Greek Philosopher)
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Many websites make it appear that if you have drug offenses on your criminal record, you will not be eligible for federal financial aid. This is NOT true. What the authors of these sites fail to note is that your eligibility may be affected if you WERE PREVIOUSLY IN COLLEGE and receiving federal financial aid when you were convicted of a drug offense.
How to Apply to Community College of Philadelphia
Community College of Philadelphia Application
Federal Application for Financial Aid
Info. on Federal Financial Aid for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
Excellent Guides and Handbooks
Employment Training Services in Philadelphia
Bureau of Labor Occupational Outlook and Handbook (2010)
Prisoner's Rights Handbook (2009)
Pennsylvania Health and Human Services Resource Guide
Prisoner Reentry Resources (check out embedded useful links too!)
Employment Information Handbook for Ex-offenders (2010)
Nonprofits in Philadelphia Offering Services for Exoffenders
Philadelphia EARN Centers (number to call is at bottom of article)
Philadelphia Free Library (wide range of free classes and programs)
Career Link (JFK Blvd. location - ask for Wallace Custis)
X-offenders for Community Empowerment
National Comprehensive Center for Fathers
National Center on Fathers and Families
Pro-Act (for people in recovery)
Mayor's Office of Re-integration Services for Ex-offenders
Department of Behavioral Health
Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation
Philadelphia RISE (City government program for ex-offenders)
Philadelphia Fight (Aids education and testing)
Federal Government Sponsored Reentry Programs and Information
US Department of Justice Ex-Offender Resources
Bureau of Prisons Ex-offender Employment Resources
US Department of Labor Information Handbook for Ex-Offenders
US Department of Justice Office for Reentry
General Information on Reentry Topics
Philadelphia Reentry Resources and Information
Civil Barriers to Reentry Success (good pdf doc with problem/advocacy)
Psychological Effects of Incarceration / Institutionalization
Model for Establishing a Nonprofit to Work with Exoffenders
Best Practices for Establishing an Exoffender Reentry Program
Note: When you are not working, you should consider volunteering!
Volunteering gives you opportunities to network with new people, increase your skill set (technical and interpersonal), and it gives you work history to add to your resume.
Many volunteer organizations will also write a "letter of character reference" for individuals who perform well as volunteers. These can go a long way when you interview for your next paying job and you need to establish to the employer that you are not an ex-offender stereotype.
Most importantly, volunteering keeps you busy and out of trouble!
Current Philadelphia Job Training Opportunities
Diversified Community Services (Green Job Training)
Job Search Engines and Aggregators
Cover Letters, Resumes, and Interviewing Strategies
Sample Exoffender Resume for a Job in Social Services (youth work)
A Summary of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)
A Summary of How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
Resume and Cover Letter Samples
Drafting a Personal Value Proposition
Ex-offender Reentry Interviewing Resources
General Job Search Advice and Information
Employers with Established Ex-offender Work Opportunities
Higher Education Reentry Programs
Community College of Philadelphia
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (great trade school for low income)
College and Community Fellowship Program, CUNY, NY
College Initiative Project, NY
John Jay College of Criminal Justice Prisoner Reentry Institute, NY
City College - EOPS - Second Chance Program, CA
San Francisco State Project Rebound, CA
Research on Higher Education and Reentry
Why Bother Earning a GED or Going to College? The Payoff!
"Learning to Reduce Recidivism" (Comprehensive 50 state analysis)
Bard Prison Initiative (see articles in lower right corner)
Jeremy Travis and the Urban Institute