The Workforce & Justice Alliance is a community of businesses committed to using their platforms, networks, and leverage to advance systemic change in the justice system, to share best practices with their peers, and to increase the number of companies taking steps to remove workforce barriers for justice-impacted individuals.

The WJA is based on the following principles:

● Systems of criminal justice should not create unnecessary obstacles to employment.

● No one should permanently lose the right to access meaningful economic mobility because of a criminal record, incarceration, or the incarceration of their family members.

● People of color are disproportionately affected and economically disenfranchised by the justice system. Redressing systemic failures in the justice system is essential to advancing workforce diversity, economic inclusion, and racial equity.

● We will use our platforms to support policies, legislative change, communications campaigns, and other initiatives that are designed to remove unnecessary barriers to employment and other services for justice-impacted individuals.

● We will also use our voices to educate our peers about the barriers and inequity created by our justice system and encourage them to join this campaign.

By joining the Workforce and Justice Alliance, members will align themselves with other companies committed to creating a fairer, more inclusive, and more productive workforce.

Businesses increasingly recognize that it is essential that their engagement on justice issues be guided by those working on the ground, especially those with direct experience of the justice system. Without this partnership, businesses who engage in criminal justice initiatives will be open to claims of inauthenticity or performative allyship. The WJA is designed to provide a practical solution to this problem.

Maximizing business impact in the justice space requires an approach that makes it easy for companies to engage at the most strategic moments. WJA will provide a practical mechanism for companies to focus their time and resources on catalytic opportunities, relying on RBIJ to source and present such opportunities to them. WJA will make it simpler and less time consuming for companies to react quickly to emerging opportunities and create impact.

As the economy continues to recover, many employers are struggling to find enough workers to meet growing demand. Removing barriers for formerly incarcerated people is a “win win.” Furthermore, with meaningful commitments to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion becoming existential for businesses, creating opportunities for people with records can provide a critical source of talent diversity. In addition. There is a growing expectation that companies will not only take internal actions to tackle racial inequality, but they will also take an active role in advocating externally for policy and systemic changes to combat it. Through the WJA, companies can strike a significant blow against systemic racism.

To learn more about joining the WJA, fill out this form.