Televerde Recognized for Prison Partnership
Televerde Recognized For 20-Year Prison Partnership
Recidivism Rate Drops by 80% As Inmates Clock In A Total Of 5 Million Hours
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) November 06, 2015 — Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) Director Charles L. Ryan honored Televerde CEO James Hooker for a 20-year partnership that helps female inmates develop job skills and set personal and professional goals. “Our partnership started with five inmates in a small trailer,” recalls Mr. Ryan. “Today, over 300 inmates fill contact center seats for Televerde at the Perryville complex.”
As an Arizona Correctional Industries (ACI) labor contract partner, Televerde demonstrates a deep commitment to the community while training inmates to serve blue-chip clients like Cisco, Microsoft and SAP. “Our agents are the most dedicated in the industry, and consistently outperform the recent college graduates our competitors typically hire,” says Mr. Hooker.
To date, Televerde’s 20-year association with ADC has generated approx. $30 million in state revenue across 5+ million hours worked. Televerde is currently looking into ways to expand operations at Perryville.
About 25 percent of Perryville inmates who work for Televerde get jobs at Televerde when they leave prison. A year prior to release, the inmates can take advantage of special transition programs such as TOPS (Transforming Our PossibilitieS) created by Televerde’s Arouet Foundation. Participants learn resume-writing, interviewing and financial management skills, as well as how to reconnect with family and kids, build healthy relationships, and leave bad influences behind. Arouet has also awarded more than 70 college scholarships. Inmates who complete Arouet programs boast a recidivism rate of less than 5.5 percent, compared to the national average of approximately 45 percent.
“I’m so proud of our work with ACI and ADC, and what it’s done for our business, our state and the ladies themselves,” says Mr. Hooker. “The inmates feel proud of their work and can leave prison with a really good shot at a second chance.”
