The PEPP was established in November 2011 by the LWD and the New Jersey Parole Board as a pilot program focused on reducing recidivism in the Garden State by providing employment pathways for previously incarcerated people. Through a competitive grant process, funding was provided to three organizations in the northern (Blessed Ministries, Inc.), central (Shiloh Community Development), and southern (Mid-Atlantic States Career & Education Center) regions of the state. 

Deputy Commissioner Fichtner shared congratulatory remarks at the Deptford celebration, noting the PEPP has equipped parolees with the tools to move forward and gain stable employment. The LWD has traditionally supported re-entry programs for ex-offenders through its One-Stop Career Centers including Career Beacon Workshops, which offer resume writing, interviewing skills, and job search assistance.

While funding job placement services through community and faith-based organizations, LWD also has supported a program called Workforce Learning Links, which offers adult basic skills services including reading comprehension, GED preparation and English as a Second Language.

Additionally, the department has supported various initiatives in collaboration with the State Parole Board, the Department of Corrections, and the Office of the Attorney General including:

• Another Chance: a demonstration project targeting 1,350 returning adults from selected correctional facilities in Camden, Trenton, and Newark. The initiative focused on education and employment opportunities to minimize recidivism.
• Fatherhood Initiative: Sought to reestablish the essential role a man has a caregiver to his children. LWD provided vocational and job readiness training, and employment assistance.
• Opportunity Reconnect (Camden): Modeled on the reentry center in Newark that has been operating at Essex County College, the goal is to co-locate resources at one site that will support a more effective system to deliver services for returning ex-offenders.

“The Parolee Employment Placement Program grant is an important investment to help us help those who are re-entering our communities," said LWD Commissioner Harold J. Wirths. “Reentry programs like this will help parolees return to their communities with the hopes of gaining stability, which will reduce recidivism, and in turn make our communities safer.”