It’s Public Service Recognition Week!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] CSOSA has been working with the DC Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management to change the narrative around hiring people who have been involved in the criminal legal system. Many talented individuals struggle to find gainful employment because of their criminal record. One out of every three adults in the United States…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]WASHINGTON – More than 70 employees and officers of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) worked together in a citywide clean-up to launch of the District of Columbia’s Summer Crime Initiative. The May 31, 2019 event – “Team Up to Clean Up” – started with a kick-off…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]April is nationally recognized as Second Chance Month, a time when the nation recognizes the obstacles that formerly incarcerated people face when returning to the community. Second Chance Month also is an opportunity to recognize how CSOSA’s staff works tirelessly throughout the year to ensure that the Agency serves as a model community supervision agency…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) is accepting applications for a fellowship program to provide new opportunities to people who have successfully completed a period of probation, parole, or supervised release. This program, similar to “Credible Messenger” efforts around the country, calls for the selected candidates to use their own life experiences to…

Mounting research indicates that there are significant benefits for our communities in helping men and women that have been in prison, jail, or on probation find employment.

Unfortunately, some employers remain reticent to hiring someone who is or has been involved in the justice system, as evidenced by the need for laws such as Ban the Box, which, among other things, makes it illegal for an employer to inquire about criminal history prior to making a conditional offer of employment. In the District’s highly competitive and saturated job market, gainful employment remains an intractable challenge. For some, it is further compounded by the additional challenges posed by their history of involvement with the justice system.