District of Columbia
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Contact:
Washington, DC Department of Employment Services
4058 Minnesota Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20019
202-724-7000
Web Site: does.dc.gov/
Information about State Department of Labor resources may be of interest to:
• potential employers looking for incentives to hire individuals with criminal histories;
• service providers and individuals with criminal histories who are looking for assistance in finding employment; and
• researchers and policy makers looking at current programs to ascertain what programs are effective and serve their intended purpose.
Federal Bonding Program
The Federal Bonding Program provides fidelity bonding insurance coverage to individuals with criminal histories and other high-risk job applicants who are qualified, but fail to get jobs because regular commercial bonding is denied due to their backgrounds.
Contact:
DC Department of Employment Services
4058 Minnesota Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20019
202-698-3540
202-698-5717 fax
Tax Credits
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit to reduce the federal tax liability of private for profit employers to be used as an incentive for employers to hire individuals from eight different targeted groups: TANF recipients, veterans, ex-felons, high risk youth, summer youth, Food Stamp recipients, SSI recipients, and vocational rehabilitation referrals.
Contact:
Washington, DC Department of Employment Services
4058 Minnesota Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20019
202-698-5849
202-698-5720 fax
Unemployment Insurance Office
Unemployment compensation is a social insurance program designed to provide benefits to most individuals out of work, generally through no fault of their own, for periods between jobs. In order to be eligible for benefits, jobless workers must demonstrate that they have worked, usually measured by amount of wages and/or weeks of work, and must be able and available for work.
The unemployment compensation program is based upon federal law, but administered by states under state law.
Claim applications may be filed at selected One-Stop Career Centers in the District of Columbia but applicants must first call to make an appointment. A list of One-Stop locations is available at the website listed below.
Contact:
Washington, DC Department of Employment Services
4058 Minnesota Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20019
202-724-7000
Web Site: does.dc.gov/page/unemployment-compensation
This is the agency individuals may contact to obtain a copy of their state rap sheet. The criminal record repository can also tell the individual who else is legally entitled to have access to his or her record.
Employers and service providers may obtain information from the state attorney general regarding occupational bars, the licensing of individuals with criminal records in certain jobs, and whether the state has laws that limit what employers may ask job applicants or protections against employment discrimination based on a criminal record.
Contact:
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW # 409
Washington D.C., DC 20004-3003
Web Site: occ.dc.gov/
Contact:
1923 Vermont Avenue Northwest
Washington D.C., DC 20001-4125
Web Site: doc.dc.gov/
The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) provides supervisory and treatment services to over 26,000 individuals on pretrial release, probation and parole. CSOSA also assists federal and local courts in determining eligibility for release.
Contact:
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency
633 Indiana Avenue, NW
12th Floor
Washington, DC 20004
202-220-5343
202-220-5335 fax
Web Site: www.csosa.gov
Free or low-cost legal resources, both in civil and criminal law, are helpful to individuals with criminal histories in learning about relevant state laws governing the expungement or sealing of criminal histories or addressing other legal issues resulting from having a criminal history.
State Public Defender
Contact:
Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
633 Indiana Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-628-1200
202-824-2784 fax Web Site: www.pdsdc.org
Legal Services
D.C. Employment Justice Center
D.C. Employment Justice Center assists individuals with criminal records with employment problems and performs community education.
Contact:
D.C. Employment Justice Center
1350 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
202-828-9675
202-828-9190 fax
Web Site: www.dcejc.org
Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society provides free legal assistance in the areas of family law (including custody, visitation, child support, and domestic violence issues), landlord-tenant (including defending against Superior Court evictions, as well as Section 8 and DCHA administrative proceedings), public benefits (TANF, food stamps, Medicaid, General Assistance for Children, or POWER) and special education cases. It also provides social work assistance to legal clients.
Contact:
The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
1331 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-628-1161
202-727-2132 fax
Web Site: www.legalaiddc.org
State Bar Association
Contact:
The District of Columbia Bar
901 4th Street NW
Washington DC 20001
202-737-4700
Web Site: www.dcbar.org/
Community agencies are available to assist individuals with criminal records find employment. This information will inform individuals with criminal records about government agencies and community-based organizations that assist with employment, education or vocational training. Researchers and policy makers may find this information useful in identifying agencies and service providers in order to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs.
Office on Returning Citizen Affairs
The Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (ORCA) provides useful information for the empowerment of previously incarcerated persons in order to create a productive and supportive environment where persons may thrive, prosper and contribute to the social, political and economic development of self, family, and community.
Contact:
Office on Returning Citizen Affairs
2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20020
(202) 715-7670
Web Site: http://orca.dc.gov/oeoa/site/default.asp
DC Central Kitchen
Through culinary job training, meal distribution, and supporting local food systems, DC Central Kitchen provides life skills, employment skills, and personal development to its consumers by building long-term solutions to the interconnected problems of poverty, hunger, and homelessness.
Contact:
DC Central Kitchen
425 2nd Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-234-0707
Fax: 202-986-1051
Web Site: www.dccentralkitchen.org/index.php
REentry Legal Services
Reentry Legal Services provides assistance to residents of the District of Columbia with legal issues related to record sealing, civil asset forfeiture, civil rights/employment discrimination, sex offender registry, D.C. Youth Rehabilitation Act Set-Asides, and pardons and commutations.
Contact:
REentry Legal Services, PLLC
Advocacy and Understanding
Community Family Life Services
Community Family Life Services has been in existence since 1969 and is a nonprofit that provides children, families, and adults with the tools they need to move themselves beyond poverty and homelessness. They also support women who are returning home following a period of incarceration by assisting them as they move into permanent self-sufficiency. Through a one-stop service delivery model that is gender and trauma informed, they have developed an organization that provides services using a combination of direct supports and partner relationships. They begin their work while women are in prison or jail and continue that work when they return to the community, offering supports for up to five years. Their programs and services include transitional housing, release planning, health and wellness, HIV services and supports, employment coaching and placement, case management, family education, and emergency services.
Contact:
305 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 347-0511
Fax: (202) 347-0520
Website: https://www.cflsdc.org/