Reintegration

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Current and formerly incarcerated individuals can access eLearning platform, pursue education credentials, earn business certifications, learn life skills, and more 

September 13, 2022 (Falls Church, VA & Rochester, NY) — ViaPath Technologies, a global corrections technology leader which facilitates connections, educational opportunities, and successful reintegration for incarcerated individuals, today announced a partnership with CypherWorx, an accredited and award-winning eLearning solutions provider.  

Through this exclusive agreement, ViaPath Technologies will leverage CypherWorx’s Learning Management Systems (LMS) to provide educational options to incarcerated individuals at nearly 2,000 correctional facilities across the country. These courses provide both current and formerly incarcerated individuals with life skills, education, job training and certifications to aid in successful reintegration.  

“We are proud to be working with CypherWorx to give current and formerly incarcerated individuals best-in-class tools, resources and programs to prepare them for whatever career path inspires them, from manufacturing to healthcare to information technology,” said Deb Alderson, CEO of ViaPath Technologies. “Our holistic approach to rehabilitation ensures that individuals who start education and training during their sentences can continue to use these critical resources after release.” 

For currently incarcerated individuals, the partnership provides expanded education content, career pathway assessments, and opportunities to earn professional certifications and credentials, including GEDs, MS, AWS, CompTIA certifications, and home inspection or real estate licenses. For formerly incarcerated individuals, ViaPath will extend access to the content they had access to while incarcerated for a full year post-release, and provide a host of additional education, training materials and services, such as résumé writing and job interview preparation.  

“Our experience in the adult learning industry has positioned us to be an extremely useful education content provider for a diverse group of industries, including corrections,” said Paul Cypher, President & CEO of CypherWorx. “By coupling our expertise with ViaPath’s understanding of the needs of incarcerated and post-incarcerated communities, we are building better pathways to reintegration and reducing recidivism.”     

ViaPath’s expanded Reintegration Services are available to currently incarcerated individuals through the company’s Inspire® Tablet which allows inmates to connect with loved ones and access entertainment and educational content. Formerly incarcerated individuals will be able to access the expanded reentry program through a portal on viapath.com.  

Since October 2021, nearly 50,000 incarcerated users in correctional facilities across the country have completed more than 2 million hours of online course work on the Inspire tablet.  

About CypherWorx: 

CypherWorx is a leading, accredited and award-winning provider of customized eLearning solutions for the government, public, non-profit and small business sectors. This includes corrections, childcare, zoos and cultural attractions, health and human services and K-12/higher education, business and professional development, safety and security.  To learn more, visit cypherworx.com. 

About ViaPath Technologies

ViaPath provides advanced communications, technology and management solutions that facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, and enable successful reintegration for previously incarcerated individuals. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more, please visit viapath.com. 

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In less than one year, the corrections technology leader has overseen the successful completion of nearly half a million courses by incarcerated individuals using the ViaPath learning management system 

Updated Oct. 13, 2022 (Falls Church, VA) — ViaPath Technologies, a global corrections technology leader which facilitates connections, educational opportunities, and successful reintegration for incarcerated individuals, recently surpassed a milestone of three million learning hours completed by incarcerated individuals on the ViaPath Inspire® tablets. ViaPath’s learning management system (LMS) is currently utilized in correctional facilities all across the United States. 

Since launching in October 2021, ViaPath’s LMS has been used by nearly 70,000 incarcerated individuals who have completed over 645,000 online courses. The courses are free of charge to all tablet users and cover a wide range of both personal and professional topics. Among the most commonly accessed and completed are courses on substance addiction recovery, financial literacy, and culinary arts training.   

“Education is essential to growth and is a foundational component to breaking the cycle of incarceration,” said Deb Alderson, CEO of ViaPath Technologies. “We could not be prouder of the individuals across the country who have embraced ViaPath’s learning systems as a means to improve their personal outcomes. We look forward to continuing to grow our content offerings and bringing our tablets into more facilities in the near future.” 

Certificates are awarded to incarcerated individuals that successfully complete courses, based on their corrections facility’s schedule of access to the tablets. Upon release, returning citizens can continue to access certain services for one year post incarceration, allowing for a smoother reintegration into their communities.  

“ViaPath Technologies may have provided the resources, but the credit for reaching this milestone really belongs to the incarcerated men and women who have shown a remarkable dedication to educate and improve themselves,” said Tony Lowden, ViaPath’s Vice President of Reintegration and Community Engagement. “It is a true privilege to help these individuals prepare to reintegrate into society with pride and purpose, and use the education and training they’ve received to obtain gainful employment and be productive participants in their communities.”   

About ViaPath Technologies

ViaPath provides advanced communications, technology and management solutions that facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, and enable successful reintegration for previously incarcerated individuals. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more, please visit viapath.com. 

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Corrections technology & communications leader stands in support of national effort to enable children with incarcerated parents, facing other societal challenges, reach their full potential 

June 4, 2022 (Falls Church, VA) — As part of its continuing commitment to help facilitate successful reintegration for incarcerated individuals and their families, ViaPath Technologies’ Tony Lowden, today, addressed the kick-off luncheon for Prison Fellowship’s Opportunity Kids Collaborative in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. Created in partnership with Walmart’s Center for Racial Equity, the Opportunity Kids Collaborative is a nationwide effort, launched in November 2021, to connect children in distressed communities of color to a support network.  

“An important part of helping incarcerated individuals reintegrate back into society upon their release is family engagement. In many cases, the children who are left behind when a parent goes to prison are in dire need of critical support services,” said Tony Lowden, Vice President of Reintegration & Community Engagement at ViaPath Technologies. “Children also have to reintegrate back to their loved ones when they come home and so it takes the entire community to make this transition happen. That is why ViaPath is proud to support Prison Fellowship and the incredible work they are doing to help people in need through impactful programs like the Opportunity Kids Collaborative initiative.”   

In addition to his work at ViaPath, Mr. Lowden is also the pastor and spiritual advisor to former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. He previously served as the White House Executive Director of the Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry.   

ViaPath Technologies is a leading technology company, which offers cutting-edge solutions to facilitate connections, educational opportunities and successful reintegration for incarcerated individuals. One of those solutions is the company’s revolutionary Inspire Tablet, which allows them to maintain regular contact with their loved ones through video visitation and electronic messaging. It also provides educational content and job training classes to help those who are deserving of a second chance, successfully reenter their communities and into the workforce, upon completion of their sentence.   

Prison Fellowship is the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners and their families. The Opportunity Kids Collaborative is a network of corporate, community, and faith-based partners working in concert to provide support to children, 18 years of age and under, who face societal challenges including poverty, racism and family instability.  

Today’s event took place in the Legends Lounge at the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters Building at The Star in Frisco, TX.  

About ViaPath Technologies

ViaPath provides advanced communications and management solutions that facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, and enable successful reintegration for 1.6 million incarcerated individuals. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more, please visit www.viapath.com.

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FALLS CHURCH, Va., April 6, 2022 – ViaPath Technologies, a leading global technology company that is focused on connecting people, today announced that former White House Reintegration Czar Tony Lowden has joined the company as Vice President of Reintegration & Community Engagement, effective April 4.

“I am extremely excited that Tony will be joining the ViaPath team.” said ViaPath CEO Deb Alderson, “His experiences and expertise will be invaluable as we further enhance the services we provide to justice-impacted individuals to successfully reintegrate into their communities.”

Lowden brings more than 20 years of experience on the local, state, and national levels, assisting criminal justice-involved individuals with opportunities for successful outcomes. In his role, He will provide leadership and vision for the continuous expansion of interactive reintegration services to not only prepare incarcerated youths and adults for life after release, but for them to successfully reintegrate into and remain in their communities as contributing members of society.

Lowden’s most recent position was as the Chaplain for the Secret Service in southwest Georgia, as well as the Pastor of former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. He was appointed by the White House in 2020 as the Executive Director of the Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry.

Prior to that, in 2012, he was appointed by Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal as the State Charter School Commissioner. He has also served as the Project Coordinator for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative and as the Director of Faith and Justice Initiative for the Governor’s Office of Transition Support and Reentry in Georgia. Having a passion for assisting at-risk youth, Lowden founded and is the former Executive Director of STONE Academy, an after-school enrichment program for at-risk children in the Macon-Bibb County, Georgia area.

About ViaPath Technologies

ViaPath provides advanced communications and management solutions that facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, and enable successful reintegration for 1.6 million incarcerated individuals. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more, please visit www.viapath.com.

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THE FORGOTTEN CANDIDATE NEEDS OUR SUPPORT IN APRIL – AND BEYOND

Since 2017, April has been designated “Second Chance Month” – shining a spotlight on the belief that the best strategy to keep individuals out of jail after they serve their time is to give them opportunities to fully reintegrate into society. But I’ve always believed that these forgotten candidates deserve more than 30 days on the calendar.

At ViaPath, we walk the walk, encouraging successful reintegration not only through life skills and job placement programs for the incarcerated, but through our own hiring of the formerly incarcerated. We’re even partnering with other organizations around the country to magnify our impact.

We also see this issue from every angle, as we help transform corrections facilities and processes in the US and abroad, while working to decrease the chances that individuals will end up re-incarcerated. This is done through education, training, and technology. Our country’s record-breaking incarceration rates are nearly matched by exceptionally high recidivism rates—a seemingly unbreakable cycle due to lack of employment opportunities that we need to help change.

That’s where we can all truly make a difference in April, and beyond.

Many companies have been hesitant to “take a chance” on formerly incarcerated individuals, when they should see it as “giving a chance” to those formerly incarcerated to reach their goals.

Thankfully there’s been hope and progress. For example, since the “Ban the Box” campaign was launched in 2003, a large number of corporations have stepped up and removed the question “Have you ever been convicted?” from their hiring applications. In addition to ViaPath, other corporations include Starbucks, Facebook, Walmart, Target, and Uber to name a few. This simple change to employment applications is making a big difference in increasing opportunities for individuals with a criminal record to be seen as qualified candidates and ultimately, get hired.

Which brings us back to that word: “chance.” It’s not risk or luck. It’s actually an opportunity, that starts with supporting these often forgotten candidates. In this case, the opportunity for individuals to reunite with their families, restart their futures, re-gain their dignity, re-enter society on solid footing, and re-engage with their communities in a positive way.

For companies, it’s an opportunity to diversify their teams and replenish a workforce that’s been shaken over the past two years. But like the “Ban the Box” campaign – it takes time. It also takes action and effort on our part.

Whether you’re a family member, friend, or prospective employer, starting over starts with you.

So, while we kick things off in April by shining a light on second chances, I firmly believe that we should do all we can to break the cycle of incarceration and foster these opportunities all year long. Because second chances – like any life-changing events – can happen at any time.

Deb Alderson
CEO, ViaPath Technologies

ABout Viapath

For over 30 years, ViaPath has worked side-by-side with correctional facilities and government agencies to provide imperative technology solutions to over 1.2 million incarcerated individuals across the globe. These solutions facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, enable successful reintegration, and strengthen operational efficiency. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America and was recognized as a 2021 Top Workplace USA by Energage.

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Company CEO challenges others to hire some of the more than 600,000 formerly incarcerated individuals released annually

Since 2017, April has been known as “Second Chance Month.” With a hiring department committed to hiring the formerly incarcerated, ViaPath Technologies helps them re-enter society with gainful employment. Working with various partners, ViaPath provides everything from education and job training to self-help, money management, and assistance with job placement.

“With the current challenges many employers are facing in finding qualified talent across the U.S., companies need to ensure that individuals with criminal backgrounds receive the same consideration as other applicants and make concrete efforts to hire formerly incarcerated individuals,” said Deb Alderson, CEO of ViaPath Technologies.

Alderson’s personal experience with an incarcerated family member became a deep-seated passion for providing second chances for returning citizens. “Everyone deserves a second chance,” she added. “I encourage companies, corporations and organizations to join us in providing those second chances to the many deserving formerly incarcerated individuals.”

Recently, under Alderson’s direction, ViaPath Technologies launched a robust Reintegration Services program and is dedicating more than $5 million over the next two years to ensure its success. ViaPath provides tablets to incarcerated individuals that include educational curriculum, financial literacy courses, industry-accredited vocational certifications, life skills and training on everything from working in the restaurant industry to launching a new business and becoming an entrepreneur.

The company is working with partners to enhance its free education and training content on its tablets, as well as job boards and an employment arm that will assist the current and formerly incarcerated in finding jobs. “We don’t just talk about second chances, we provide them,” said Alderson.

Antonio Sadler is one of the company’s second chance hires. Sadler served 10 years in a prison in South Carolina. While incarcerated, he used a ViaPath Technologies tablet and says it “immediately had a positive impact.” In addition to being able to communicate with loved ones and also gain access to online educational materials, Sadler said he was able to learn life-skills from the ViaPath tablet. Today, he is a full-time associate product manager for ViaPath.

“Antonio and our other second chance hires, including both formerly incarcerated as well as justice-impacted employees, have filled critical job openings at ViaPath,” said Jessica Artz, chief human resources officer at ViaPath Technologies. “These employees are now part of our family. They go above and beyond, and have a lot to give and teach us all.”

Artz continued, “What other companies may not realize is that there are many formerly incarcerated individuals who took the initiative to further their education and gain vocational training and job skills. Their experience often makes them more qualified than candidates that just got out of school. Companies just need to commit to hiring them.”

According to the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS), more than 600,000 individuals across the U.S. are released from state and federal prisons each year. The agency also reports that more than two-thirds of those released are likely to be re-arrested within three years due to a lack of training, reintegration skills, and employment opportunities.

With ViaPath Technologies tablets in correctional facilities across the U.S., incarcerated individuals can access the necessary training and other curricula needed in preparation for reintegration and in finding and securing employment.

“We have a great group of partners and are constantly adding more to assist us in providing a wealth of content and assistance with education, career development and other resources and a chance to connect with employers,” Alderson said. “With so many employment needs across numerous industries countrywide, we see hiring formerly incarcerated as an opportunity to bridge the gap in the current employment crisis.”

“The crisis could finally force companies who wouldn’t consider hiring formerly incarcerated before, to now take a look at them,” Alderson added. “Providing a second chance is a way to break the incarceration cycle and provide companies with an eager-to-work employment pool. At the end o the day, we’re helping to ensure that those facing reintegration have access to the tools they need to be successful.”

ABout Viapath

For over 30 years, ViaPath has worked side-by-side with correctional facilities and government agencies to provide imperative technology solutions to over 1.2 million incarcerated individuals across the globe. These solutions facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, enable successful reintegration, and strengthen operational efficiency. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America and was recognized as a 2021 Top Workplace USA by Energage.

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