Fresh Start is a re-entry program offered to individuals transitioning back into the community upon release from prison.

The Fresh Start Re-Entry Program was created in 2010 to help ex-offenders who are making the effort to rejoin their communities and become productive, employed citizens. The program grew out of the library's state-of-the-art, award-winning Virtual Career Center after librarian Tonya Badillo noticed that many job seekers had previously been arrested or incarcerated. The ability to expand our Back to Work Initiative and offer the Fresh-Start program was made possible by a $44,000 New Jersey State Library Literacy Grant. Badillo, now the library's director, notes that the Fresh Start program takes the best of the back-to-work services provided by the Career Center, and tailors it to ensure that the program is now confidential, personal and relevant to a large portion of the community that has previously been ignored or underserved.

The program provides eleven one-on-one sessions of computer training, resume writing and job searching to the previously incarcerated. These job seekers begin by scheduling an appointment with the staff for an introductory meeting designed to provide an opportunity to build a trusting relationship. Because these individuals view their prior arrest and background as very personal, it is important they feel comfortable and confident with those staff members who will be helping them get started. Starting with an informal conversation that includes details of their prior arrest history, their expectations, and their current computer skills, a plan is outlined that is tailored to best meet the needs of the client. Thereafter, having completed the program sessions, the clients will be encouraged to use the Library's Career and Technology Center during open hours, where they can job search, complete online job applications and continue to learn computer skills to advance their education and job skills.

Many previously incarcerated visitors were further disadvantaged by not having advanced computer skills or even any basic computer skills like using email or internet searching. This was especially pertinent to ex-offenders that had spent years in prison and were re-entering society with limited computer use. In many scenarios, technology had advanced by light-years while time had stopped for many offenders living in a cell, behind the wall.

More than 600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons every year, and thousands more are released from local jails to return to their families and communities. Many will have a difficult time transitioning from incarceration, primarily because of a lack of employment. This causes the cycle of poverty and crime to continue and has a negative social and economic effect on us all. A successful re-entry for ex-offenders is a benefit to the entire community. If ex-offenders are prepared and encouraged to persist, successful re-entry into the workforce is possible.

Eligibility	Ex-offenders who are making the effort to rejoin their communities and become productive, employed citizens.
Age Groups	Adolescents Adults
Community Services	Basic Needs / Assistance Supportive Housing Community Drop In / Community Center Employment / Training Job Search
Health Services	Intellectual and Developmental Needs Support Coordination

Last Updated: 12/30/22