RBIJ Celebrates Fair Chance Month

April marks the start of Fair Chance Month, a time to highlight how the workforce in the U.S. and the U.K. is strengthened when justice-impacted talent are welcomed. This spring, businesses on both sides of the Atlantic are uniting around a shared mission: breaking down hiring barriers and expanding opportunity for people with criminal records. Read on to hear inspiring stories about how justice-impacted talent is fueling business success and discover opportunities to get involved.  

RBIJ’s Fair Chance Month Calendar for Businesses 

We’re excited to launch our 2026 Fair Chance Month calendar, featuring employer-focused events across the U.S. and the U.K. designed to help businesses learn innovative fair chance hiring strategies and build connections with other fair-chance employers. We’re still accepting submissions through the rest of the month. View the calendar or submit your event. 

Join the Inaugural Fair Chance Hiring Week in the U.K.  

The Fair Chance Business Alliance is organizing the U.K.’s first Fair Chance Hiring Week from April 27 to May 1. RBIJ is a platinum partner and is supporting the week, which will feature events on how to build a stronger and more inclusive workforce. Learn more.  

America’s Got Untapped Talent: RBIJ and The Clean Slate Initiative’s New Campaign 

In partnership with The Clean Slate Initiative, this April we’re amplifying a workforce reality: talent is everywhere; opportunity is not. Check out the “America’s Got Untapped Talent” campaign to hear directly from fair-chance employers on why they leverage this recruitment strategy. View their testimonials and add your support!

Free Resource for Businesses: Share Your Commitment to Fair Chances

When businesses use their voice, people listen and real change is possible. We invite companies to share their commitment to Fair Chance Hiring using RBIJ's social media toolkit for Fair Chance Month. View the toolkit. 

Rewriting Justice: A Conversation with Jesse Crosson and Awake Window & Door Co.  

Join Workforce & Justice Alliance members, Jesse Crosson of Night is Day LLC and Joe Mason and Jessica Coz of Awake Window & Door Co., on April 15 for a candid conversation on Crosson’s new book, “The Best Part of Prison: The Power of Second Chance and Reclaiming Life Out of Darkness.” Register for the virtual event.  

Introducing New Advisory Council Members: James Cadogan, Patti Constantakis, Mike Doner 

We’re proud to welcome James Cadogan, Executive Director of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition; Patti Constantakis, Director of Corporate Philanthropy at Walmart.org; and Mike Doner, President and CEO of Flagger Force to RBIJ’s Advisory Council. Meet our new Advisory Council members. 

Businesses Advocate for Clean Slate Legislation  

RBIJ joined business leaders and coalition members this past month to testify in support of Clean Slate legislation — automated record sealing that would help businesses hire from overlooked talent pools.

Here's the latest: A half a dozen local businesses and chambers testified in support of Clean Slate Maryland, which has now passed the state Senate. Clean Slate Rhode Island had an official kickoff event with coalition members. Businesses showed their support for Clean Slate Maine by submitting testimony to the Joint Judiciary Committee. Clean Slate Missouri passed through the state's House of Representatives after business leaders voiced their support. 

Join us for a webinar in support of Clean Slate Massachusetts on Friday, May 8 at 9:30 a.m. ET. “Unlocking Massachusetts’ Untapped Talent: The Business Case for Clean Slate” will feature executives discussing how Clean Slate can benefit the state's workforce. Register your interest by emailing policy@rbij.org.

If you’re a business that wants to advocate for Clean Slate, reach out to policy@rbij.org.  

Mark Your Calendar — Upcoming Events 

Employing U.S. Vets Conference — Apr. 9 | New York, NY 

RBIJ Director of Inclusive Hiring Caz Walcott joins Director of the Veterans Justice Commission at the Council on Criminal Justice, Brigadier General David MacEwen, for a fireside chat on best practices for hiring justice-impacted veterans. Register here.

SHRM Talent 2026 — Apr. 19-22 | Dallas, TX 

RBIJ Inclusive Hiring Manager Taja Hereford joins Workforce & Justice Alliance Members JBM Packaging and rézme to talk about their HR pilot project that makes Fair Chance Hiring efficient and scalable. Register here.  

Building a D.C. Labor Force that Works — Apr. 23 | Arlington, VA

Join RBIJ and the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) for an event hosted by Deloitte that will explore how business leaders can use Fair Chance Hiring to foster a hardworking and loyal workforce in any industry. Register here. 

2026 Workforce & Justice Summit — May 14 | London, U.K. 

RBIJ’s flagship event is back in London this spring! Join us as we unpack how corporate engagement on criminal justice reform and greater inclusive hiring benefits all of us — our businesses, our communities, and our economy. Register your interest and explore sponsorship opportunities.     

SXSW London — June 1-6 | London, U.K. 

Join RBIJ, JUMP, and Virgin for our panel “The Power of Sports in Advancing Justice” at SXSW London this summer. We’ll explore how leaders in the sports industry are using their influence to shift the narrative around justice-impacted individuals and connect them with employment. Register for the event.      

RBIJ Welcomes New Businesses to the Workforce & Justice Alliance

RBIJ’s Workforce & Justice Alliance (WJA) is a groundbreaking community of businesses working to dismantle workforce barriers for justice-impacted individuals and drive justice reform across the country. Become a WJA member today to connect with a network of justice-minded businesses and access exclusive resources.   

RBIJ is an independent nonprofit organization. Support from donations helps fund our work to improve the criminal justice system.