At the request of state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks), the state Senate Democratic Policy Committee is coming to Reading to hold a roundtable discussion on employment challenges facing people with criminal records.

The meeting will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, in the Schmidt Technology and Training Center Building, Reading Area Community College, 10 S. 2nd St, Reading, PA 19603. The public is welcome to attend.

“When it comes to lesser crimes, few people believe that a person’s past mistakes should relentlessly haunt or curtail their ability to find a decent job to support themselves and their family,” Schwank said. “This discussion will focus on problems that both ex-offenders and employers face.

“I requested that this committee discussion be held in Reading to help amplify our region’s input on this important statewide issue,” Schwank said.

“While acknowledging that reasonable restrictions and prohibitions are appropriate in many cases, we must still do all we can to remove needless barriers that prevent qualified workers from accessing the job market”, said Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton), who chairs the committee. “These same barriers hamper businesses from fulfilling their workforce needs.”

Boscola said the open-ended discussion will likely focus on pending “second chance” legislation that would expedite the criminal record expungement process for non-violent offenders. She said the panel would also focus on preventing prison recidivism and improving workforce opportunities and access for non-violent offenders.

In addition to committee members, the following are expected to take part in the discussion:

  • Vaughn D. Spencer, Mayor of Reading
  • Peggy Kershner, Co-Executive Director of the Berks Connections Pre-Trial Services
  • Janet Ginzberg, Staff Attorney, Employment Law Unit, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia
  • Cindy Daub, Executive Director of Re-entry and Quality Assurances, PA State Board of Probation and Parole
  • James C. Young, Criminal Justice Committee Chair, Reading NAACP
  • Hamid Chaudhry and Steve Elmarzouky, local business owners; and
  • Rev. Sandra L. Strauss, Director of Public Advocacy, PA Council of Churches

Media coverage is welcome and encouraged.