I had recognized my mistake and served my time. However, dread, low self-esteem and a sense of exclusion communicated a repetitive, singular message: “your voice, your beliefs, your opinions don’t matter.”
Trapped within the tangled web of Oklahoma's probation system, I have felt the crushing weight of its injustices firsthand, revealing a system that promises rehabilitation but delivers only oppression and recidivism. I cannot overstate the challenges and injustices that pervade this often-overlooked aspect of our criminal justice system, leaving individuals ...
She says she's living proof people can succeed after being incarcerated.
A nonprofit dedicated to helping people released from prison is expanding in Tulsa. The Center for Employment Opportunities opened a new location on Denver Avenue and held an open house Thursday evening. CEO says they’ve helped thousands of former prisoners gain employment.
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The Center for Employment Opportunities in Tulsa expanded its reentry services to formerly incarcerated people with a new location.
Since Center for Employment Opportunities has been in Tulsa, it has helped over 2,000 people find jobs after incarceration. It's now moved into a new facility downtown, allowing it to help more people than before.
Mattie L. is a program delivery associate at CEO Oklahoma City who helps people in the same situation she was in just a year ago. After being incarcerated, Mattie was most worried about having a career again where she could help people. She previously worked as a nurse and home ...
“We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there,” say the lyrics of “East Bound and Down,” one of the most popular trucking songs. Rodney, a new trucker, not only drives a long way in a short time for his routes but has come a ...
When Rodney Fisher was 22 years old, he was given a 52-year sentence for purse snatching. He was finally released in 2020 after maintaining his innocence for 34 years.
Venitra loves her job as a picker at a warehouse in Oklahoma City, OK. She gets excellent benefits and uses the forklift skills she trained for. However, there was a long period when she was fearful about finding a good position. She was incarcerated during the pandemic and was unsure ...
“For individuals returning from incarceration,” Christopher says, “financial support is needed immediately. Without my SNAP benefits, I hate to imagine what life would have been like for me coming home. I never want to be in that position of desperation.” Because of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), rather than ...
On this edition of ST, we learn about Tulsa's Center for Employment Opportunities (or CEO). CEO is a nationwide nonprofit that helps people who've just come out of prison find jobs and/or acquire skills and training. The Tulsa CEO branch opened in 2011; our guest is Adrienne Yandell, who directs ...
It’s been 10 days since Oklahoma’s historic commutation. Nearly 500 inmates were released from the Oklahoma DOC. With a record, many formerly incarcerated individuals knew it would be hard to find work. But some of those who found the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), landed in the governor’s backyard.
As a regular routine, Sky Easley gets up at 5:50 a.m., brushes his hair and teeth, eats a block of cheese for breakfast and hops on his bike for a 19-minute ride to a “work crew” meeting at Northwest 4th Street and North Walker Avenue. Easley, 23, and other individuals ...
With its larger space, the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is planning to expand its reach to formerly incarcerated residents. Since June, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber member CEO has been operating out of its new space, 501 N. Walker Ave., Suite 160. The nonprofit organization used Chamber-member CBRE commercial real ...
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States, and leaving the system can be a vulnerable time for a person. The Center for Employment Opportunities says job training for people who were formerly incarcerated is a money saver for tax payers and ...
