Prison Inmates Graduate from Work-Readiness Program

BRISTOL, RI—This week, an innovative program that helps inmates pivot to productive careers held a graduation.

“ ‘Pivot the Hustle’ is our name for a program that works with inmates on work release to supply them with the skills necessary to help them get their lives back on track,” said Roger Williams University President Donald J. Farish. “Overwhelmingly, they want (and deeply appreciate) a second chance. Every person who can get a job and become financially independent, rather than being on a return path to prison, is a person who not only has his or her self-respect back, but also does not cost Rhode Island taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars each year to incarcerate.”

Fourteen men and 12 women are in the this class, according to Roger Williams University.

RWU's School of Continuing Studies and the state Department of Corrections launched the career and job-readiness program last January. It costs zero taxpayer dollars, was developed and is managed by RWU.

It works like this, according to Adriana I. Dawson, assistant dean of the School of Continuing Studies.“Pivot the Hustle” builds on prison-based education programs, aiming to develop the “soft skills” that make former inmates more employable.

At the outset, the program prompts inmates to analyze where they are in life, what changes they need to make and where they want to be in the future, said Dawson, who oversees the Center for Workforce and Professional Development. It prepares them to talk about their personal stories and to speak to an employer. It teaches them how to look for jobs and to match their skills with job opportunities. And it provides a model for giving ex-offenders the ability to contribute to the state’s economy, she said.

Jamie Scurry, dean of the School of Continuing Studies, said, “Providing educational and career opportunities to those who are or were formerly incarcerated is critical to the health and well-being of families and communities. At the School of Continuing Studies, we literally and figuratively meet people where they are in their educational and career journey.”

Scurry said, “As an anchor institution committed to strengthening society, we cannot pick and choose who in society we are willing to work with. We are honored to be able to help these men develop their talents, build the strengths that allow them to achieve their goals, and through this process help lower recidivism rates.”

The program is just one example of RWU’s goal of building the university the world needs now. “It is the private university with the public purpose, meeting all of society’s needs – all of it,” Dawson said. “This is a community that universities have not typically thought about, an invisible community – those transitioning out of prison.”

In all, 69 inmates have taken part in the program since its inception. The 12 women are the first females to graduate.