DeepSummary
In this episode, Teresa Hodge shares her personal story of going to prison at age 44 for a white-collar, non-violent crime and receiving a 7-year sentence. She discusses the challenges she faced after being released, including not being allowed to disclose her conviction to coworkers and having to keep that part of her identity a secret. Hodge expresses frustration with the barriers and discrimination formerly incarcerated individuals encounter in finding employment and housing, even years after their release.
Hodge co-founded technology companies R3 Score Technologies and Mission: Launch to help provide opportunities for people with criminal records. However, she had to step down as CEO of R3 Score due to her own record preventing access to funding and opportunities for the company. She advocates for policy changes to expunge records after a certain period of time and provide more protections around criminal background checks.
Recently named to the Forbes 50 Over 50 list, Hodge aims to leverage this recognition to encourage more inclusivity and opportunities for the over 70 million Americans with arrest or conviction records. She urges corporations to operationalize their diversity pledges by hiring qualified candidates with records and normalizing their presence in the workforce.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Teresa Hodge advocates for policy changes to expunge criminal records after a certain period of time and provide more protections around criminal background checks.
- Hodge co-founded technology companies to help provide employment opportunities for people with criminal records, but faced barriers due to her own record.
- Having a criminal record can lead to exhaustion and struggle in keeping that part of one's identity hidden at work.
- Corporations should operationalize diversity pledges by hiring qualified candidates with criminal records and normalizing their presence in the workforce.
- Statistics suggest individuals with criminal records may be less likely to reoffend after a certain period of time post-incarceration.
- Over 70 million Americans have arrest or conviction records, presenting an untapped talent pool for employers facing workforce shortages.
- Hodge calls for inclusivity and opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals across various domains like employment, housing, and banking.
- Hodge aims to leverage her recognition on the Forbes 50 Over 50 list to inspire others who have faced setbacks, particularly later in life.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I was so tired, and I didn't recognize how tired I was until I left that job. And it was just not being able. The fear of being outed, the fear of someone knowing, the fear of them googling me. And in that moment, they would have maybe thought I was lying and trying to keep it from them when, in general, I was told, don't share this information, you know, and I wanted to be a good employee.“ by Teresa Hodge
- “You know, I'm looking forward to really incur, I want to encourage more people who are in their fifties, not, they don't have to have a conviction history. But what I am evidence of is you can have a setback in your life, and it could be that in your fifties and you can still live your best possible life.“ by Teresa Hodge
- “We cannot continue to other a third of our country and leave them locked out of opportunity, whether that's workforce opportunities or other opportunities like housing, access to banking, and so forth.“ by Teresa Hodge
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Episode Information
The Will To Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion
Jennifer Brown
7/23/21
Teresa Y. Hodge, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of two nationally recognized criminal justice innovation companies, R3 Score Technologies, Inc. and Mission: Launch, Inc., joins the program to share her own journey of securing employment after prison. Discover what it will take for corporations for meet their DEI goals when it comes to hiring untapped talent that has an arrest and/or conviction record.