YORK, Pa. (YorkDispatch) — Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf visited York County on Thursday to highlight the struggles of women with criminal records to re-enter the workforce.
“Many reentrants struggle to find steady jobs that pay a living wage, and this is particularly crucial for women given that a majority of them are mothers,” she said, during a roundtable with the York County Economic Alliance. “We must work together to help these women reestablish this critical piece of their lives during reentry."
Wolf appeared there as the administration of her husband, Gov. Tom Wolf, negotiates the state's 2022 budget with Legislative Republicans. The governor's proposal calls for $1 million investment for reentry services at the local level for women re-entering the workforce after going through the criminal justice system.
According to the PA Department of Corrections, there are approximately 2,000 women in Pennsylvania’s State Correctional Institutions (SCIs), with 67% of the women serving sentences of 5 years or less.
Likewise, 70% of those women are mothers, according to state data.
“Offering resources such as a pipeline for skills training, provides employers with a greater applicant pool, and aids in lowering recidivism rates,” said Kevin Schreiber, a former state lawmaker and president of the York County Economic Alliance.