Connections Work

Rebuilding reentrants and reading (r3): connections work partners with the reading muhlenberg career and technology center (rmctc) and the goggleworks center for the arts to provide the three components of the training; career and technical education at rmctc, hands on learning in the woodshop and welding studio at the goggleworks and an employment focused cognitive curriculum delivered by connections work staff. In 2024, 34 participants successfully completed the program. Graduates of the program have proven high levels of success - 63% are currently employed and 96% have not recidivated.

Pretrial/diversion: pretrial officers conduct post-arrest interviews and assessments of criminal defendants and furnish the verified assessments to the judiciary, either prior to bail being set or at the preliminary hearing. Connections work also assists with jail population management by monitoring the pretrial population and providing assessments to the court for defendants who are deemed low risk and are only incarcerated due to their inability to pay monetary bail. In 2024, connections work provided 1,316 defendant assessments to the courts. Connections work also provides supervised release for criminal defendants who would otherwise remain in jail until the final disposition of their case. Connections work also oversees the forensic diversion program. The goal of this program is to act as a liaison between various criminal justice entities to decrease the incarceration rate of non-violent mentally ill defendants, while ensuring community safety.

Community outreach: the community outreach team (cot) is responsible for three areas: 1. Volunteers: the team manages the recruitment and oversight of all agency volunteers that support our various programs and reentry initiatives, including our family connections events, holiday gift project, mother's/father's voice program, returning citizens career fairs, and mock interviewing. 2. Marketing: they are responsible for the oversight and production of our agency's marketing material including social media, newsletters, and appeals. 3. Events: the team oversees connections work events and initiatives including the annual awards breakfast, two career fairs, friends of connections work social, raffles, and outside agency sponsored events. In 2024, our volunteers helped us serve just under 300 children in our holiday gift project, 775 children with mother's/father's voice, and assisted over 450 job seekers at our returning citizens career fairs.