South Carolina General Assembly
122nd Session, 2017-2018

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Bill 719


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Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A SENATE RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE SPARTANBURG REENTRY CENTER FOR ITS SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE REHABILITATION OF THOSE WHO HAVE PAID THEIR DEBT TO SOCIETY AND SEEK TO RESIDE AS PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS IN THE PALMETTO STATE.

Whereas, the South Carolina Senate is grateful for the critical services provided by the Columbia and Spartanburg Reentry centers in coordinating job fairs in the Upstate and the Midlands that encourage probationers, parolees, ex-offenders, or any individuals with criminal challenges in their background to facilitate their reentry into the workplace; and

Whereas, the Reentry Program Services Division was established to provide a comprehensive overview of community-based reentry and release programs which could identify and address barriers encountered by offenders regarding reentry into the community from various stages in the criminal justice process; and

Whereas, in 2014, the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services (SCDPPPS) conducted the agency's first Job Fair on the property of Livesay Correctional facility with an excess of seven hundred in attendance; and

Whereas, the same year in August, the second job fair held at the Spartanburg Reentry Center had more than five hundred attendees, and an expungement workshop was offered to provide information to individuals about the pardon and expungement process; and

Whereas, the Job Fair in 2015 was moved to a larger venue, and several individuals who were interviewed were offered employment the same day as the event; and

Whereas, in October 2015, the Reentry Program Services job fairs and pardon/expungement were expanded, and the 2nd Chance Forum, an annual event co-sponsored with the Honorable Karl B. Allen, was introduced to assist Senator Allen in the Greenville community with similar events designed to increase the likelihood that those seeking to reenter their communities would be able to meet their financial obligations and community responsibilities while easing their anxiety associated with reentry; and

Whereas, the most recent Job Fair held on April 28, 2017, drew the highest employer turnout in the fair's history with participants from construction, landscaping, manufacturing, and food services companies. More than eight hundred from the local community attended seeking reentry jobs, and sixteen individuals already have obtained employment as a result of attending the Job Fair; and

Whereas, Marna Windle, facility manager of the Spartanburg Reentry Center, began her career in the Greenville County office of SCDPPPS in 1996. A certified Risk/Need Assessment trainer and a recent graduate of the Strategic Leadership Academy, Agent Windle holds a bachelor's in criminal justice and a master's in counseling from Bob Jones University in Greenville; and

Whereas, she is a member of the South Carolina Probation and Parole Association, Greenville Reentry Task Force, and First Baptist North Spartanburg Church and a former board member of Soteria CDC. She helped to develop a safe partner's network with various church organizations called Faith Partners; and

Whereas, Thomas Scott, the manager of Employment Development in the Office of Rehabilitative Services, has served twenty-three years with SCDPPPS. He began his career in criminal justice in 1978 as a Correctional Officer with the Virginia Department of Corrections. He earned advanced degrees in the administration of justice at Virginia State University, and his distinguished career led him to serve as director of corrections for Darlington County; and

Whereas, he is a member of the South Carolina Probation and Parole Association; National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; The Prince Hall Masons; and First Nazareth Baptist Church in Columbia, and he was the Distinguished Member of the 1998 Leadership South Carolina Class; and

Whereas, the South Carolina Senate is grateful for the outstanding success that Marna Windle, Thomas Scott, and the staff members of the Reentry centers are having in their communities and across the State with the vital Job Fair program. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize and honor the Spartanburg Reentry Center for its significant role in the rehabilitation of those who have paid their debt to society and desire to reside as productive citizens in the Palmetto State.

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