PORTLAND, Maine — A Brunswick nonprofit will receive $500,000 in federal money to pilot a work training program for prisoners about to be released from Cumberland County Jail.
The grant is one of 20 in the country that the U.S. Department of Labor said are designed to keep people from returning to prison. Maine is the smallest state to receive one of the grants.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates more than 9 million people are released from prison each year.
“When someone leaves a county or local jail, very real barriers too often stand in their way as they try to find a good job and lead a successful life,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez said in a news release. “We have to do more to help them land on their feet as they return to their communities.”
The money will be given to Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. in Brunswick, which it will use to set up a specialized job center similar to the 2,500 job centers managed by the Department of Labor across the country.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree’s office said the program at the Cumberland County Jail is expected to serve 100 inmates over two years.
“This kind of transitional support is one of the best things we can do to help these individuals get their lives back on track while reducing crime in our communities and keeping people out of the jail system and saves money over the long term,” Pingree said.
Maine’s version of the federal program, called Linking to Employment Activities Pre-Release, or LEAP, also will involve Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, the Maine Department of Corrections, the city of Portland, Catholic Charities and local employers.
The $10 million in grants across 20 communities also will go to sites in California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.