#NNPA BlackPress
Taking a Deep Dive into RAND Research
NNPA NEWSWIRE — RAND’s study of the Sacramento Probation Department’s Career Training Partnership (CTP) program suggests that hiring ex-offenders from career training programs, like ours, can save employers time and resources because the employer does not have to invest in training and vetting. I agree. We are successful in getting ex-offenders hired because they are prepared based upon employers’ specific needs, such as construction and truck driving.
The post Taking a Deep Dive into RAND Research first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Jon Ponder
In some circles, I’m considered “undereducated.” That’s why as the person in charge of all aspects of a prison reform program, given my non-traditional path to the position, I’m curious about how we are doing, according to the experts. In my capacity, I receive quite a bit of research. Ultimately, I was drawn to the RAND Corporation, a pre-eminent research institution. In reviewing some of their key findings, here’s what I learned.
RAND’s study of the Sacramento Probation Department’s Career Training Partnership (CTP) program suggests that hiring ex-offenders from career training programs, like ours, can save employers time and resources because the employer does not have to invest in training and vetting. I agree. We are successful in getting ex-offenders hired because they are prepared based upon employers’ specific needs, such as construction and truck driving.
In fact, in our experience, employers are not “unwilling” to hire ex-cons. What they’re unwilling to do is hire “projects,” so it’s important for ex-offenders to get training, which most don’t have— neither vocational nor educational. Our ex-offenders receive ready-to-work training. This aligns with RAND findings that employers who hired participants from CTP typically had fewer concerns about the job readiness of the probationers.
A related RAND study says most surveyed employers would consider hiring a non-violent felon for an entry-level job based on tax credit incentives. At HFP, we have found that in addition to job readiness, tax incentives are key for our employer partners because they provide a sense of assurance. Some incentives offer up to 90 percent reimbursement for this training. Other incentives might include Federal Bonding Programs for damage or stealing.
For ex-offenders, securing employment at a living wage is one of the most significant challenges they face, which again, aligns with RAND’s findings. The training we provide and the employers we partner with are focused on jobs that offer above the minimum wage, which helps ex-offenders get their lives in order. This could include working to help get child support arrears either erased or minimized or covering court costs and restitution obligations. In addition to employment, we address the need for transportation, housing, and family reunification. We provide boots, tools, a commercial driver’s license (if necessary) and proper ID, testing mentors and other work essentials when needed.
RAND also found that employers prefer working with staffing agencies that guarantee replacement workers when initial candidates are not a good fit. In our case, if one of our people fails to work out, we ask employers not to fire that hire, but to allow us the opportunity to help give them what they need to overcome any shortcomings.
The research suggests that there’s often positive results when probation officers, training programs, and employers work together to help ex-offenders. I agree. By including the PO at the table, we can help foster a collaborative and supportive relationship between the PO and the trainee in a more relaxed environment.
In conclusion, upon review of the RAND findings, I am reassured that here at “Hope for Prisoners” we must be doing something right. But don’t take my word for it. Look at the research. Ask the experts.
Jon Ponder is a three-time convicted bank robber who spent five years in prison. After his release in 2009, he founded the “Hope for Prisoners” program in Nevada which helps former prisoners successfully reintegrate into society. Because of the vital work he provides to the community, his current criminal status is “Pardoned.”
The post Taking a Deep Dive into RAND Research first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
#NNPA BlackPress
Chavis and Bryant Lead Charge as Target Boycott Grows
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. “They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the packed sanctuary. “Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.” The town hall marked the conclusion of Bryant’s 40-day “Target fast,” initiated on March 3 after Target pulled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments. Among those was a public pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025—a pledge Bryant said was made voluntarily in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.“No company would dare do to the Jewish or Asian communities what they’ve done to us,” Bryant said. “They think they can get away with it. But not this time.”
The evening featured voices from national movements, including civil rights icon and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who reinforced the need for sustained consciousness and collective media engagement. The NNPA is the trade association of the 250 African American newspapers and media companies known as The Black Press of America. “On the front page of all of our papers this week will be the announcement that the boycott continues all over the United States,” said Chavis. “I would hope that everyone would subscribe to a Black newspaper, a Black-owned newspaper, subscribe to an economic development program — because the consciousness that we need has to be constantly fed.” Chavis warned against the bombardment of negativity and urged the community to stay engaged beyond single events. “You can come to an event and get that consciousness and then lose it tomorrow,” he said. “We’re bombarded with all of the disgust and hopelessness. But I believe that starting tonight, going forward, we should be more conscious about how we help one another.”
He added, “We can attain and gain a lot more ground even during this period if we turn to each other rather than turning on each other.” Other speakers included Tamika Mallory, Dr. David Johns, Dr. Rashad Richey, educator Dr. Karri Bryant, and U.S. Black Chambers President Ron Busby. Each speaker echoed Bryant’s demand that economic protests be paired with reinvestment in Black businesses and communities. “We are the moral consciousness of this country,” Bryant said. “When we move, the whole nation moves.” Sixteen-year-old William Moore Jr., the youngest attendee, captured the crowd with a challenge to reach younger generations through social media and direct engagement. “If we want to grow this movement, we have to push this narrative in a way that connects,” he said.
Dr. Johns stressed reclaiming cultural identity and resisting systems designed to keep communities uninformed and divided. “We don’t need validation from corporations. We need to teach our children who they are and support each other with love,” he said. Busby directed attendees to platforms like ByBlack.us, a digital directory of over 150,000 Black-owned businesses, encouraging them to shift their dollars from corporations like Target to Black enterprises. Bryant closed by urging the audience to register at targetfast.org, which will soon be renamed to reflect the expanding boycott movement. “They played on our sympathies in 2020. But now we know better,” Bryant said. “And now, we move.”
#NNPA BlackPress
The Department of Education is Collecting Delinquent Student Loan Debt
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt.

By April Ryan
Trump Targets Wages for Forgiven Student Debt
The Department of Education, which the Trump administration is working to abolish, will now serve as the collection agency for delinquent student loan debt for 5.3 million people who the administration says are delinquent and owe at least a year’s worth of student loan payments. “It is a liability to taxpayers,” says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at Tuesday’s White House Press briefing. She also emphasized the student loan federal government portfolio is “worth nearly $1.6 trillion.” The Trump administration says borrowers must repay their loans, and those in “default will face involuntary collections.” Next month, the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt. Leavitt says “we can not “kick the can down the road” any longer.”
Much of this delinquent debt is said to have resulted from the grace period the Biden administration gave for student loan repayment. The grace period initially was set for 12 months but extended into three years, ending September 30, 2024. The Trump administration will begin collecting the delinquent payments starting May 5. Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Talladega College, told Black Press USA, “We can have that conversation about people paying their loans as long as we talk about the broader income inequality. Put everything on the table, put it on the table, and we can have a conversation.” Kimbrough asserts, “The big picture is that Black people have a fraction of wealth of white so you’re… already starting with a gap and then when you look at higher education, for example, no one talks about Black G.I.’s that didn’t get the G.I. Bill. A lot of people go to school and build wealth for their family…Black people have a fraction of wealth, so you already start with a wide gap.”
According to the Education Data Initiative, https://educationdata.org/average-time-to-repay-student-loans It takes the average borrower 20 years to pay their student loan debt. It also highlights how some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans. A high-profile example of the timeline of student loan repayment is the former president and former First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, who paid off their student loans by 2005 while in their 40s. On a related note, then-president Joe Biden spent much time haggling with progressives and Democratic leaders like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill about whether and how student loan forgiveness would even happen.
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VIDEO: The Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. at United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ Excellencies: With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world. I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the […]

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