DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Susan Mason, Executive Director and Co-Founder of What's Next Washington, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the ability of formerly incarcerated individuals to reintegrate into society and achieve long-term economic stability. Susan shares her personal story of being incarcerated and the challenges she faced in finding employment due to her conviction history, even years after her release.
Susan highlights startling statistics, including the fact that there are currently 70 million people in the US with conviction histories, and this number is projected to reach 100 million by 2030. She discusses how overcriminalization and mass incarceration disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and Native communities, as well as women and LGBTQ+ individuals, creating barriers to employment and housing.
Susan emphasizes the need for systemic change, including amending or repealing regulations and licensing barriers that prevent people with conviction histories from securing employment in various sectors. She advocates for employers to partner with her organization on pilot programs to combat fears and biases, and to prove that formerly incarcerated individuals can be high-performing and loyal employees.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- By 2030, there will be an estimated 100 million people in the US with conviction histories, representing a significant untapped talent pool.
- Overcriminalization and mass incarceration disproportionately impact marginalized communities, including Black, Brown, Native, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
- Systemic barriers, such as regulations and licensing requirements, prevent formerly incarcerated individuals from securing employment in various sectors, even years after their release.
- Employers need to reevaluate their hiring policies and partner with organizations like What's Next Washington to combat biases and implement pilot programs for hiring formerly incarcerated individuals.
- Providing employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals is crucial for their successful reintegration into society and long-term economic stability.
- Formerly incarcerated individuals can be highly loyal, driven, and high-performing employees if given the opportunity.
- Overcoming fears and biases surrounding the formerly incarcerated community is essential for promoting inclusivity and meeting diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
- The movement to integrate formerly incarcerated individuals into the workforce can be modeled after the LGBTQ+ community's efforts to raise awareness and promote acceptance.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “People are hungry for humanizing other people. We've spent a lot of time in this country demonizing everybody, and I think that people are hungry for the truth about our fellow citizens.“ by Susan Mason
- “By 2030, if you're not on a roadmap to a vast and complete internal and sector systems change, you're in trouble.“ by Susan Mason
- “We patterned a lot of this on the LGBTQ community and the way that they stepped up during the AIDS crisis and said, we're not doing this anymore. We have got to come out of the closet. And we are who we are, and I can't be pigeonholed anymore.“ by Susan Mason
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Episode Information
The Will To Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion
Jennifer Brown
4/7/21
Susan Mason, Executive Director and Co-Founder of What’s Next Washington, joins the program to discuss how organizations can recruit, hire and retain formerly incarcerated talent. Susan reveals some startling statistics about overcriminalization, including the fact that by 2030 100 million people will be convicted of a crime in the US. Discover what needs to change from a policy standpoint, and why without policy changes, organizations will miss out on hiring one in two working age adults, with an overrepresentation of people of BIPOC, women, and LGBTQI communities.