New Partnership Drives Greater Inclusivity and Empowers 45 Incarcerated Women to Participate in Customer Experience and Client Support Roles
Securus Technologies, a subsidiary of Aventiv Technologies, today announced a partnership with Televerde, a sales and marketing technology organization, to hire 45 Televerde agents who are currently incarcerated to manage inbound customer service and take the current customer experience to the next level. This partnership comes as part of Securus’ larger commitment to support re-entry services and create more opportunities for the formerly incarcerated.
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One in three US adults have a criminal record, many because of a single mistake. For those who are incarcerated for longer periods of time, it is especially hard to find employment opportunities upon release and leads many of them back in prison. The new partnership between Securus and Televerde will address this challenge by hiring, training and fairly compensating incarcerated women, which will help reduce national recidivism.
Participation in the program is highly competitive and the standards for candidacy include extensive business and technology training and a deep commitment to continuous learning. Televerde has a proven model for helping incarcerated women develop career goals, build marketable business skills, and successfully reenter society as leaders, caregivers, innovators and business professionals.
“Securus is committed to transforming the lives of incarcerated people through our technology and this new partnership with Televerde will allow us to build on that commitment by providing incarcerated women with critical job opportunities and professional skill development,” said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. “Televerde has a proven record of significantly reducing recidivism rates and providing life-changing opportunities for its employees. We will continue to seek opportunities to work with organizations like Televerde that are committed to supporting re-entry initiatives and making a real impact on our nation’s recidivism rates.”
Televerde’s commitment to working with disempowered populations, notably incarcerated women in the United States, has produced remarkable results both for clients and communities for more than 25 years. The Arizona State University Seidman Research Institute recently revealed that participants of Televerde’s program go on to attain employment, earnings, and education at higher rates and reoffend at significantly lower rates than other formerly incarcerated females in the United States.
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“We are looking forward to redefining the customer experience with our new partner, Securus Technologies. The acuity, knowledge and expertise of our agents will help Securus quickly improve productivity and efficiency,” said Morag Lucey, CEO of Televerde. “We are quite familiar with the offerings of Securus, as well as their commitment to strengthening the bonds between incarcerated individuals and their families. It is extremely gratifying to partner with a company that is equally as dedicated to improving the lives of all individuals, regardless of background or circumstance. We look forward to building both the business and purpose side of our relationship with Securus, together creating more opportunities for disempowered communities and driving inclusion in and out of the workplace.”
In addition to the partnership with Televerde, Securus recently announced a set of second chance hiring principles – commitments set by the organization to support incarcerated individuals and enable them to acquire employment opportunities upon release. Those include:
- Hiring decisions should focus on an individual’s ability to perform a job and all individuals deserve consideration for employment, regardless of current incarceration status or incarceration history.
- Incarcerated individuals are worthy of investment and innovation, including the opportunity to attain educational credentials, acquire skills needed for long-term employment, and build relevant work experience.
- Equal employment deserves equal pay. Securus Technologies pays a fair wage for work performed and will not decrease or distinguish wages due to incarceration status.
- Individuals working while incarcerated should be provided a meaningful opportunity to fund personal accounts, cover state restitution fees and save for their futures.
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