Knoxville Urban League Partners with State to Help those with Criminal Records

KNOXVILLE – The Knoxville Urban League (Knoxville, TN) has partnered with The Tennessee Office of Reentry to help those with a criminal record get a fresh start.

At an event on Wednesday, May 11th, the Office of Reentry, a new department created by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, joined an expungement clinic held by the Urban League’s RISE Reentry Taskforce. The expungement clinic helps those with criminal records clean up their records so they’re able to easily access social services.

The goal of this partnership is to help those with criminal records transition back into the workforce.

Denise Carr, the director of workforce programs for the Urban League, said, “To better share what we’re doing and learn from each other and then figure out what better solutions we can come up with to better address challenges that justice-involved individuals have. We are eager to work together to address the challenges facing Knoxvillians and, more broadly, Tennesseans who need to emerge from incarceration and reestablish themselves in the community.”

Both the Urban League and Office of Reentry have stated that their goal is to assist those with a criminal record, while also helping the community as they transition. One of the programs the Urban League offers is pre and post release services, which includes connection to employment services, skills training, and the aforementioned expungement clinics.

The next expungement clinic is scheduled for Saturday, June 19th.

To get more information, please read the original article here.