U-Turn Permitted 
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United Baptist Church
4242 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, Il 60624
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Program Eligibility:
U-Turn is available to people of all ages, men and women, with a felony conviction.
Would you like more information about the program?
Click on the below logo to view our flyer:
Or, if you would like to speak with someone, please contact Jose Wilson, Timothy Turner, or Sylvia Hodges
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Among NLEN's flagship projects, NLEN's U-Turn Permitted program trains men and women with records of criminal conviction in the necessary skills to enter and advance in the world of work. UTP participants learn skills, habits, attitudes and values that spell success on the job and in daily life. It focuses on the habits of thought that often set the course for self-destructive and anti-social behavior.
Over four weeks, participants learn to recognize and redirect destructive thinking patterns. Employing conflict resolution tactics, participants circumvent angry confrontations and resolve disputes amicably. The UTP curriculum includes resume creation and rehearsal for job interviews customized to the circumstances of the former offender. There is an emphasis on the importance of communication skills and on the imperative to present an affirmative, confident, positive demeanor in all contacts. Direct job placement assistance and opportunities for self-directed job acquisition are provided, as is continuing Workforce Coaching.
Recidivism rates are evidence that large numbers of offenders are becoming caught in a cycle of re-incarceration that will permanently isolate them from the mainstream world of work and citizenship. In fact, the Pew's Public Safety Performance Project has recently found that, for the first time in United States history, 1 in 100 adults in this country are currently in prison or jail. For more information view the report here.
Former offenders are barred from many occupations and employers often balk at the prospect of employing them due to stigma and anxiety about liability issues. U-Turn Permitted strategically addresses these issues with tactics that have been proven to work for offender job seekers. A Workforce Coach will maintain a regular schedule of contacts with participants in transition. These contacts will assess the participant's adjustment to employment and will resolve issues before they lead to job loss. Contact will continue for at least one year, and participant initiated contact may continue indefinitely, addressing whatever problem the client may face in the preservation of employment, the maintenance of domestic stability, the maintenance of sobriety, and the abstinence from criminal activity. Workforce Coaches will also inform and guide participants in the utilization of statutory tools for the sealing of criminal records, record expungement, and the issuance of certificates of relief from disability, all available under existing Illinois law.
For further logistical information concerning U-Turn Permitted, please view our flyer.
For more information about participating in the U-Turn Permitted progam, please contact Jose Wilson, Timothy Turner, or Sylvia Hodges.
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