About Us - Tennessee Office of Reentry
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Office of Reentry (TOOR) is a statewide comprehensive source for reentry information, direction, and planning. TOOR was created in July of 2021 to coordinate comprehensive workforce services to support Justice Involved Individuals (JIIs), via the Department’s statewide network of American Job Centers (AJC).
American Job Centers Are Ready to Help!
All American Job Centers throughout Tennessee can provide direct services to Justice Involved Individuals. The largest AJCs, which are called comprehensive offices, have been provided additional training, resources, and networking by TOOR that will better help them to serve JIIs.
Justice-involved individuals who are seeking job opportunities, adult education, supportive services, or general assistance should contact the local American Job Center most convenient to them.
Employers who are interested in learning more about Second Chance hiring should contact us at the Office of Reentry. You may download the Employer Guide for Hiring Justice-Involved Tennesseans.
Nonprofits, faith-based organizations, or governmental offices that want to learn more about how they can get involved with Tennessee reentry should contact us at the Tennessee Office of Reentry.
Services for Justice-Involved Individuals
How can an American Job Center help you?
American Job Centers (AJCs) provide free help to job seekers for a variety of career and employment-related needs. Nearly 2,400 AJCs, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, are located throughout the United States.
Is a criminal record affecting your job search?
CareerOneStop's job search help offers information, tips, and resources to help people with criminal convictions overcome barriers they might face in their job search.
Find out about training options
You know that training can change your work life. Now find out which type is right for you.
Programs and Grants
Purpose: To support justice-involved youth in gaining meaningful employment, training, and supportive services to promote long-term success and reduce recidivism.
Administered through: Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs)
Funding Model: Local Boards match TOOR dollars to extend impact
Focus Areas: Workforce readiness, supportive services (transportation, work attire, counseling), and mentorship.
Goal: Empower young Tennesseans with justice involvement to access stable employment and reenter society successfully.
The LEAP Program, administered by the Tennessee Office of Reentry (TOOR), is designed to bridge the gap between incarceration and employment. Through this initiative, TOOR Reintegration Specialists enter Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) facilities to deliver career-building and job-readiness training to individuals prior to their release.
LEAP equips participants with essential employment skills, connects them to workforce resources, and prepares them for successful reentry in the community. By linking pre-release preparation with post-release support, the program enhances long-term employability and reduces recidivism across the state.
Purpose: Supports community-based reentry programs that connect individuals returning from incarceration to employment, education, and supportive services.
Funding Location: Managed by Local Workforce Development Boards
Target Population: Adult returning citizens
Focus Areas: Job placement, vocational training, case management, and employer partnerships.
Goal: Strengthen reentry pathways through workforce partnerships and reduce barriers to reintegration.
Purpose: PROWD assists federal reentrants transitioning from incarceration to the workforce by providing pre-release and post-release workforce services.
Lead Entity: Tennessee Office of Reentry
Collaborating Partners: Federal Correctional Institutions, Local Workforce Boards, and Community Stakeholders
Focus Areas: Career readiness, job placement, supportive services, and fair chance employer engagement.
Goal: Build a coordinated statewide model to enhance employment outcomes for individuals reentering from federal custody.
Together, these TOOR grants represent Tennessee’s commitment to creating equitable opportunities, strengthening communities, and supporting successful reentry through workforce innovation.
TOOR’s Work is Guided By Three Key Objectives
- Advance efforts to assist Justice Involved Individuals overcome barriers to employment
- Improve the data tracking involving JIIs
- Increase awareness of the value that JIIs bring to the workforce
Located within the Department's Workforce Services Division, the Tennessee Office of Reentry is entirely state funded.
Some Common Terms Used By TOOR
- Reentry: the transition from incarceration - life in prison, jail, or juvenile justice facilities - to life in the community.
- Recidivism: generally, the relapsing of someone back into criminal behavior. This is often defined through a “recidivism rate,” which is the rate of those returning to incarceration, usually measured on a three-year scale from release.
- JII: Justice Involved Individual. The term refers to anyone who has had interactions with the criminal justice system as a defendant. A person who has been labeled as a felon, a convict, a criminal, an offender, or a parolee is known as a justice involved individual. "JII" is a "person-centric" term, unlike other terms that define someone solely by that person's past. This is similar to other terms that might be used such as: returning citizen, people with records, or people with lived experience.
Consider These Statistics
- Tennessee currently has approximately 30,000 people incarcerated in jail and approximately 20,000 people incarcerated in prison.
- Out of these, approximately 95% will be released.
- 1 in 3 Tennesseans has a criminal background.
- 1 in 2 Tennesseans has a family member that has been incarcerated.
- Recidivism rate (defined in TN as the rate for those with felony convictions to be re-incarcerated within three years) is currently 46%.
- Unemployment rate for Tennessee: 3.5% (December 2022); Unemployment rate for the formerly incarcerated: 27%.