Since 2017, Second Chance Month has been observed in the United States to highlight the importance of supporting previously incarcerated people as they work to reenter their communities.

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is a proud second-chance employer, offering a career path and family-sustaining incomes to people with past experiences with the criminal justice system. 712 Goodwill employees – 14% of our workforce – have self-reported that they have had involvement in the justice system. Goodwill New Beginnings, Goodwill’s reentry program, provides even greater support and tools to those striving toward reentry.

Goodwill New Beginnings offers resources to help participants secure housing and healthcare, reinstate their driver’s license, address legal challenges and more. Through barrier removal and case management, participants can work toward transitioning from entry-level work at Goodwill to a skilled, in-demand career within their community. 

The program has positively impacted its participants’ recidivism, or the rate at which people return to prison. Indiana’s recidivism rate is 34%; Goodwill New Beginnings participants have maintained a recidivism rate under 10%.

To celebrate Second Chance Month and bring awareness to reentry, Goodwill New Beginnings hosted a panel discussion with six program graduates and one current program participant on April 11, 2024, at the Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana Corporate Office. Panelists were asked about navigating social stigma, re-building their support systems and relationships and the barriers they’ve overcome since incarceration.

“The reentry process is not easy,” said Dr. Trelles Evans, senior director of coaching and reentry services. “It’s always been important to give our participants and graduates a chance to bring awareness to the barriers they had to overcome to create a new beginning for themselves and their families.”

Event attendees also got a look at the inner workings of the Goodwill New Beginnings curriculum from the perspective of an average participant as well as the opportunity to learn about behavior modification, a core principle of the program.

Recently, Goodwill New Beginnings celebrated its first graduation of the year. On April 5, 12 participants were recognized for successfully completing the curriculum and satisfying the program’s requirements. 

For more information or to refer a potential candidate, please contact the Goodwill New Beginnings office at 317-524-3956 or newbeginnings@goodwillindy.org.