Last week County Executive Steuart Pittman announced the creation of Turnaround Thursday, a job program for the formerly incarcerated.   The program is a collaboration between Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency, the county’s anti-poverty organization, and  Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT), a non-partisan organization devoted to developing community leaders.

Turnaround Thursday will prepare returning citizens and underemployed persons who are seeking to reenter the workforce as leaders — prepared and trained to begin gainful, living wage employment in opportunities created by ACT.

Turnaround Thursday was inspired by the successful Turnaround Tuesday movement in Baltimore, a movement that has placed over 1500 formerly incarcerated men and women in jobs. Baltimore has had a greater than 70% two-year retention rate for its participants. These individuals are prepared, motivated, and ready to work, thrive, and ultimately, to lead in their places of employment, families, and communities.  Anne Arundel County has a recidivism rate of 34.2%, higher than that of Baltimore City. Housing, job placement, transportation services, mental health services, and other supports exist but are not easy to navigate.

The program will take place at the Asbury United Methodist Church every Thursday, with a second program starting in late March at the Ordnance Road Correctional Center.

To read more about the program, visit Turnaround Thursday Movement.