Second Chance Career Fair offers new opportunities, new hope for Utah inmates

SALT LAKE CITY — There are currently about 6,400 people incarcerated in Utah, and each day, the Utah Department of Corrections supervises the release of between 50 and 60 inmates.

What comes next is largely dependent on choices made by the former inmate, but state officials still want to give them opportunities to succeed. That's why the department offers Second-Chance Career Fairs multiple times a year. The most recent fair was offered on Monday in Ogden.

Officials said these fairs are as much an opportunity for participating employers as they can be for the inmate, because inmates are pre-screened and highly motivated.

"We see especially strong participation from employers within construction, excavation, and manufacturing and steel fabrication," said Armanda Mercado with the corrections department, "including transportation and skilled trades. These are apprenticeships that we currently also teach individuals while they're incarcerated."

The Department of Corrections also offers clothing and transportation to those who need to get to their interview, along with a host of other reentry and rehabilitation services.

Related topics