Newark gets $2M federal grant for prisoner re-entry programs

With the help of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Newark will serve as a laboratory to help reintegrate people released from prison into society, officials said at a news conference in the city Tuesday.
The money, which comes as part of President George W. Bush's prisoner re-entry initiative, will be used to help up to 1,200 ex-offenders with basic job skills. The grant will be combined with $3 million in private donations -- $1.7 million of it from the Nicholson Foundation -- to provide transitional jobs and funding for community and faith-based programs to render services to ex-offenders, officials said.
The Department of Labor is "seeking to establish Newark as a learning platform for communities across the country that are grappling with the re-entry crisis," said Brent Orrell, deputy assistant secretary for employment and training with the U.S. Department of Labor. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners