NEWARK, NJ — Everyone deserves a second chance.

Since opening their office at Greater Newark Conservancy, the New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC) has managed to help more than 1,000 formerly incarcerated people get their lives back on track and move towards a brighter future. The nonprofit NJRC recently celebrated the milestone – marking 1,053 Newark clients served – with an event at the Greater Newark Conservancy at 32 Prince Street. During the event, which was attended by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, several former inmates shared stories about to how the NJRC's reentry programs helped to transform their lives. (See video below)

According to a news release from the nonprofit, the effort to provide a pathway for former prisoners to "reenter" society is paying off: "In the past four years, the NJRC has established a model program, which has been recognized as a best practice by the U.S. Department of Justice. The NJRC operates eight sites and serves 3,945 clients. The recidivism rate is 19.7 percent, and the employment rate, adjusted for seasonal fluctuation, is 55-62 percent. Of the 1,053 clients served in Newark, 979 are work eligible, and 547 have been successfully employed."

See related article: 'Ban The Box': Former Prison Inmates Deserve Work Too, Lawmakers Say

See related article: Newark Plans To Give 75 Ex-Cons Jobs, Healthcare To Fight Murder Rate As part of the NJRC's programs, its clients receive individualized assessments and treatment plans that address "essential needs," including addiction treatment, structured sober housing, job training and employment, linkage to legal services and healthcare, and spiritual mentoring. During orientation, NJRC staff educate clients on employment skills and "soft skills" such as resume development, interview and workplace etiquette, goal setting, and frustration tolerance. Clients traditionally receive case management services for a six- to nine-month period, the nonprofit stated.

Another way the NJRC helps former prisoners reintegrate into their communities is through a simple and oft-overlooked resource: a driver's license.

"Through NJRC's pro bono legal services program, clients are screened and provided assistance with driver's license restoration,' the NJRC stated. "Since the inception of the legal services program, hundreds of driver's licenses have been successfully restored."