City of Orange Partners with Essex County for Second Chance Employment

Orange is partnering with Essex County to provide temporary employment for people previously convicted of minor crimes.  The program, funded by Essex County, will allow for 12 individuals to work with the City of Orange’s Public Works Department to remove debris at some of the most frequently traveled areas throughout the City such as Scotland Road, High Street, Thomas Boulevard, Park Avenue and others.

The program begins on Monday, 1/30/2012, and is intended to give a second opportunity to individuals previously convicted of a minor crime.  The men will be under the direction of Public Works Department Supervisors and security will be provided by the Essex County Department of Corrections.

Statement by Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr.

The Second Chance Employment initiative is a win-win program for its participants and for the citizens of Orange. It gives people convicted of lower level criminal offenses the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to hold a job and contribute to society. It will help them find jobs in the future by giving them experience that will help them to show their work skills and work ethic. The people of Orange benefit from their participation in making our city cleaner and more attractive. Second Chance programs such as this have been shown to reduce recidivism in other communities.”

Statement by Calvin Bell, Orange Director of Public Works

“This is a great opportunity for the individuals participating in the program, as well as the residents of Orange.  It will not only give the individuals a chance to gain some work experience, but it also will enable the City to obtain additional manpower to take care of some quality of life items, without incurring the associated costs”.