The April 22 Event is the Third and Final Stop of the Tennessee Office of Reentry’s Tour Across the State
An expungement clinic, driver’s license services, and a job fair are just a few of the activities the Tennessee Office of Reentry (OOR) is planning at its upcoming Knoxville celebration. In observance of National Second Chance Month, the OOR is hosting a community resource fair on Friday, April 22. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Knoxville American Job Center located at 2700 Middlebrook Pike, Suite 100.
This event is designed to bring together employers, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, state agencies, and community partners who can help justice-involved individuals reenter society. Participation in this event is free and open to the public.
Confirmed activities at the April 22 celebration include:
• Expungement clinic facilitated by Access to Justice
• Driver’s license renewals, duplicates, and state IDs issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security
• On-site registration into the Jobs4TN program
• Connections with employers and community organizations that operate in the reentry space
• Remarks from local and state leadership, including Commissioner Jeff McCord
“We’re committed to providing Tennesseans reentering society with the tools they need to safely contribute to their communities and thrive in our workforce,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “I commend the Office of Reentry for their meaningful work to strengthen public safety and look forward to participating in Second Chance Month.”
This event will be the third and final stop on a tour across Tennessee. The OOR kicked off Second Chance Month in Nashville on April 1, in the 37208 ZIP code, which, according to a 2018 Brookings Institution study, has the highest incarceration rate in the nation. Gov. Lee was among the featured speakers at the first event. The second event took place in Memphis on April 8, when over 125 attendees took part in the expungement clinic portion of the celebration.
“Access to adequate resources is a critical element for people who have completed their sentences and have a desire to become contributing citizens in our community,” said Dr. William Arnold, OOR Director. “We believe these community-based education events will raise awareness of the value of justice-involved individuals and their potential to reenergize our state’s workforce.”
For more information or to learn how to participate as an individual, organization, or state agency, please contact Jeremy White at jeremy.b.white@tn.gov or by phone at (615) 253-5267.
About the Office of Reentry
The OOR is housed in the Workforce Services Division of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and has been in existence since July 1, 2021. Inspired by Governor Bill Lee’s vision, the OOR’s mission is to provide comprehensive workforce services to support justice-involved individuals who are reentering society.
About National Second Chance Month
Second Chance Month, established and observed in the United States during April since 2017, is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction and unlock second-chance opportunities for justice-involved individuals who are returning to their communities. In America, 95 percent of the nearly 2 million people incarcerated will be released at some point and will, therefore, return to our communities as our colleagues, neighbors, and co-workers.