10 Second Chance Employers

April is recognized as Second Chance Month®, a time meant to raise awareness about the challenges people with criminal records face when reentering the workforce. For many justice-impacted individuals, finding stable employment after incarceration can be quite difficult. Fortunately, a growing number of businesses across the United States recognize the value of offering a second chance.

Second chance employers are organizations that adopt fair hiring practices and create pathways to meaningful work for formerly incarcerated people. These organizations help individuals rebuild stability while strengthening communities. Below are ten employers known for offering an employment pathway to people with criminal records.

1. Dave’s Killer Bread

Dave’s Killer Bread is one of the most widely recognized companies advocating for second chance hiring. Through its Second Chance Project, the company actively recruits and hires people with criminal records and promotes fair chance employment practices across the business community.

Founder Dave Dahl spent years in prison before returning to the family bakery and helping transform it into a nationally recognized brand. His story helped shape the company’s belief that meaningful employment can provide a powerful second chance for people rebuilding their lives.

2. Goodwill Industries

Goodwill Industries International has long supported second chance opportunities by helping individuals with criminal records build job skills and reconnect with the workforce. Through a nationwide network of more than 150 local organizations, Goodwill provides job training, education, employment readiness programs, and other resources designed to help justice-impacted individuals find stable work and rebuild their lives.

Each year, Goodwill also participates in Second Chance Month, which raises awareness about the barriers people with criminal records face when seeking employment, housing, and education after incarceration. By promoting fair chance hiring practices and investing in community-based reentry programs, Goodwill works to expand employment opportunities and support people pursuing a second chance.

3. Down North Pizza

Down North Pizza in Philadelphia centers its mission around providing second chance employment. The restaurant hires formerly incarcerated individuals and pays wages above the typical restaurant industry standard.

Founder Muhammad Abdul-Hadi started Down North Pizza to help reduce recidivism by providing stable employment opportunities for people returning from prison. Many of the restaurant’s employees have experienced incarceration, making the business a powerful example of how second chance hiring can create meaningful community impact.

4. I Have a Bean

I Have a Bean is a coffee roasting company dedicated to providing employment opportunities for justice-impacted individuals. The company focuses on training individuals to roast excellent coffee and supports successful reentry.

By providing stable employment and skill development, I Have a Bean helps participants gain confidence and independence as they rebuild their lives. The company’s mission demonstrates how businesses can play a direct role in offering a second chance through meaningful work.

5. Redemption Roasters

Redemption Roasters is a coffee company that combines specialty coffee with social impact. The organization works directly with prisons to train incarcerated individuals in coffee roasting and prepare them for employment upon release.

Through its training and employment programs, Redemption Roasters helps participants develop valuable job skills and transition successfully into the workforce. Initiatives like this demonstrate how businesses can create meaningful second chance opportunities while building successful companies.

6. Greyston Bakery

Greyston Bakery is known for its innovative open hiring model. Instead of traditional job applications, resumes, or background checks, applicants are placed on a waiting list and hired when positions become available.

This approach removes many of the barriers that people with criminal records face when seeking employment. Greyston’s Open Hiring® model focuses on providing opportunity first, making it one of the most well-known examples of second chance employment in practice.

7. Nehemiah Manufacturing

Nehemiah Manufacturing Company is a consumer goods company that intentionally hires individuals who face significant employment barriers, including those with criminal records. The company operates a program called the Second Chance Employment initiative, which provides supportive workplace environments and mentorship for employees rebuilding their lives.

Nehemiah’s leadership believes stable employment can help individuals regain independence and prevent recidivism. Their model demonstrates how businesses can combine commercial success with a commitment to second chance hiring.

8. Butterball Farms

Butterball® Farms, a Michigan-based food manufacturer, is known for its long-standing commitment to fair chance hiring. The company intentionally hires individuals returning from incarceration and provides support to help them succeed in the workplace.

Leadership at Butterball Farms believes employment can be one of the most powerful tools for helping people rebuild their lives after incarceration. By offering a second chance to motivated workers, the company helps create both personal and community stability.

9. Eaton

Eaton is a global power management company that supports second chance employment by expanding opportunities for individuals with criminal records. The company has publicly stated its commitment to removing unnecessary barriers to employment and considering qualified applicants based on their skills, experience, and ability to perform the job.

By evaluating candidates more holistically and focusing on qualifications rather than past convictions alone, Eaton helps create meaningful pathways into the workforce for individuals seeking a second chance after involvement with the justice system.

10. JPMorganChase

JPMorganChase has taken an active role in promoting fair chance hiring policies through its participation in the Second Chance Business Coalition. The coalition includes major companies working together to expand employment opportunities for people with criminal records.

Through involvement in the coalition and fair chance hiring initiatives, JPMorganChase has helped bring attention to the importance of second chance employment.

 

Written by Adam Wernham