Because everybody deserves a second chance
An expungement clinic, driver’s license services, and a job fair are just a few of the activities the Tennessee Office of Re-entry is planning at its coming Knoxville celebration.
In observance of National Second Chance Month, the re-entry office is hosting a community resource fair on Friday, April 22.
The event will take place from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Knoxville American Job Center, 2700 Middlebrook Pike, Suite 100.
This event is designed to bring together employers, nonprofit and non-governmental organizations, state agencies, and community partners who can help justice-involved individuals re-enter 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 re-entry [program].
This event will be the third and final stop on a tour across Tennessee. The organization 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. Bill Lee was among the featured speakers.
“Access to adequate resources is a [crucial] element for people who have completed their sentences and have a desire to become contributing citizens in our community,” said Dr. William Arnold, the group’s director. “We believe these community-based education events will raise awareness of the value of justice-involved individuals and their potential to re-energize our state’s workforce.”
For more information or to learn how to participate as an individual, organization, or state agency, contact Jeremy White at jeremy.b.white@tn.gov or by phone at 615-253-5267.