The Louisiana Division of Probation and Parole partnered today with Right on Crime to present an Employer Engagement Forum at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office Training Center in Scott.
Assistant Secretary Rhett Covington with the Department of Corrections joined community experts in Reentry, Community Development, and Criminal Justice Reform.
The Forum focused on how local businesses can play a part in keeping communities safer and helping the local economy by possibly hiring persons who have been previously incarcerated or convicted of certain felonies.
It also aimed to help employers make informed decisions when considering hiring individuals with criminal backgrounds.
Scott Peyton, state director of Right on Crime, was at the event and explained that the group, which has been in Louisiana since 2016, is a "conservative approach to criminal justice."
One attendee said he believes the event is important because, as he explained, "time that employers understand that by not giving formerly incarcerated people a chance to prove themselves, they remain a ward of the state."
"When people are employed," explained Peyton, "It keeps our community safer, our crime rates are lower, so businesses have that opportunity to not just help grow the community, but also keep the community safer."
Learn more about Right on Crime here.
