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Live Webinar

Beyond the Record: Rethinking Employment for Justice-Impacted Individuals

Lisa LaCon, PhD, CRC
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Description

This webinar examines employer decision-making when hiring individuals with criminal records. Participants explore the differences between jail and prison, parole and probation, common felony convictions, and how stigma influences hiring decisions. The session reviews workplace incentives such as the Federal Bonding Program and NJ On-the-Job Training (OJT) contracts to help reduce employer risk. Attendees participate in reflective discussions about bias, liability, and strategies for workforce reintegration.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Differentiate jail vs. prison, parole vs. probation, and understand implications for reentry employment.

  • Identify stigma, its components, and its impact on hiring.

  • Evaluate employer risk-mitigation tools

  • Apply equitable hiring strategies for justice-impacted applicants.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is to educate participants that employment for justice-impacted individuals is often hindered more by stigma and systemic barriers than by actual risk, and mental health professionals play a critical role in addressing these barriers through vocational advocacy and rehabilitation strategies. By leveraging evidence-based support(s) and employer incentives, practitioners can help shift hiring practices from fear-based decisions to recovery-oriented workforce inclusion.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Lisa LaCon, PhD, CRC
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Hampton University, Dr. Lisa LaCon began working with individuals infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. While serving this population, she played a key role in developing and implementing educational health programs that increased awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS. This work led her to give presentations across New York State and City prisons, shelters, and community health centers. Dr. LaCon also holds a master’s degree from Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, in Rehabilitation Counseling. She subsequently passed the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) examination, earning the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential. Later, she earned her doctorate in Psychiatric Rehabilitation from Rutgers University, becoming the first Black person to achieve this accomplishment. As Co-Founder and Director of BLESSED Ministries, Inc. (BMI), a non-profit organization focused on workforce development, Dr. LaCon has secured grants totaling over $18 million from the New Jersey Department of Labor, the New Jersey State Parole Board, the Division of Family Development, Investors Foundation (Bank), the Kessler Foundation, and the Rapoport Foundation. She has delivered presentations at Integrity House, one of New Jersey’s largest nonprofit substance use disorder treatment centers; to students at Rutgers Law School and in social work and rehabilitation counseling programs at Rutgers; to the Mental Health Association in New Jersey; and to the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. She has been published in the Journal of Rehabilitation, the leading peer-reviewed journal for rehabilitation counselors, with her work titled "Rehabilitation Counseling Students' Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders with Mental Illnesses." Her areas of specialty include working in the urban community with clients who have addictions, working with the re-entry population, and those diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities through a psychiatric rehabilitation approach, assisting them on their wellness and recovery journey to wholeness. She is currently an adjunct psychology professor at her alma mater, Hampton University.

Financially Sponsored By

  • New Jersey Counseling Association (NJCA)