Albany County Probation Licensing Program

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Individuals on probation have difficulty finding gainful employment due to hesitancy to hire a convict, terms of probation, and a lack of previous experience. Additionally, many probationers are not licensed to operate a vehicle. Not only does this exclude them from many jobs, such as union work that require a driver’s license, but it severely limits the location where the probationers can work. Without a license, probationers must find a job close to home with hours corresponding to public transportation and does not require the probationer to be ‘on-call.’ To reduce recidivism, Albany County instituted a unique program to provide driver education to eligible probationers who do not currently have a NYS Driver’s License. Eligible participants are part of the Alternatives to Incarceration program, focusing on youth and adults who never had the opportunity to receive instruction from schools or family members. Since the programs start in Spring of 2017, 14 individuals have gone through the program with two receiving licenses. Those two individuals have since been hired locally at jobs that specifically require licenses. Feedback from the probation participants has been positive and many have expressed the need for such a program and their gratitude for assisting them with an important barrier.