Jones County Sheriff’s Office launches second chance employers list

The initiative connects businesses with people seeking employment after incarceration.

JONES COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Jones County Sheriff’s Office has started a Second Chance Employers List on its website.

The list is aimed at helping people who have a felony or criminal background find a job.

“This is a list that we started at the sheriff’s office to reduce recidivism, basically just giving people a second chance to get out of jail and have something to do,” said Madilyn Madray, public information officer for the Jones County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office says it can be hard for those with a criminal background to find jobs.

“Especially when you go out there and you are handing out your resume, and you know, they do the background check, and employers are like, ‘Nope. Immediately no. We aren’t going to hire you because you’ve done something in the past,'” Madray said.

When the Jones County Sheriff’s Office began the Second Chance Employers List, several businesses signed up.

One of those businesses is Middle Georgia Staffing Solutions.

“We believe that you should judge people for who they are today and not off past mistakes or something they did in the past,” said Blake Connolly with Middle Georgia Staffing Solutions.

Connolly says there are certain things the company looks into when hiring someone with a criminal background.

“We are thoughtful on what the charge is or where they may be going, and the customer and what their standards are,” Connolly said.

The Jones County Sheriff’s Office says businesses interested in joining the list can visit jcsheriff.org and fill out the form.