Pivot Program Joins Employer-led Effort to Advance Second Chance Employment

Georgetown University’s Pivot Program announces its membership in the Second Chance Business Coalition (SCBC), a cross-sector group of large employers committed to expanding hiring and advancement practices within their companies for people with criminal records. 

The newly formed SCBC promotes the benefits of second chance employment and provides major employers with a set of tools, relationships, and expertise to allow them to successfully hire and provide career advancement and greater economic opportunities to people with criminal records.

“The creation of the coalition underscores the need for businesses to make good on their pledges to build a more inclusive workforce,” said Alyssa Lovegrove, academic director, Georgetown Pivot Program. “We are excited to partner with other organizations on solutions that create more hiring and career advancement opportunities for people with a prior criminal record.”

Approximately 70 million Americans have a criminal record. Research shows that individuals with a conviction history often experience significant collateral consequences as a result, including barriers to employment and a lack of opportunities to advance professionally. For example, a criminal record alone can reduce the chances of a second interview by 50 percent. With labor markets tight and employers struggling to find qualified candidates for open positions, second chance employment programs give companies access to new sources of untapped talent. 

The complete list of companies joining the Pivot Program as founding members of the coalition can be found here. The SCBC is co-chaired by Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase, and Craig Arnold, chairman and CEO, Eaton. In addition to the co-chairs, four other partner organizations will lead the coalition alongside Georgetown University’s Pivot Program, including the Business Roundtable, the Society for Human Resource Management, Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation, and Stand Together.

The coalition will help employers tap into a talent pool that includes the nearly one in three U.S. adults who have a criminal record by: 

• Developing and sharing best practices, including learning from subject-matter experts and developing and deploying tools to improve second chance recruitment, retention, manager training, performance and satisfaction, as part of an inclusive workforce. 

• Launching pilot initiatives to test new approaches to second chance hiring and advancement practices, including through partnerships with community service organizations and pipeline providers and by utilizing metrics to guide decision-making. 

The Pivot Program represents a collaboration between Georgetown’s Prisons and Justice Initiative, the McDonough School of Business and Georgetown College with substantial support from the and the D.C. Department of Employment Services.

Learn more about SCBC at SecondChanceBusinessCoalition.org and the Pivot Program at https://pivot.georgetown.edu/.