Mariko Okumotom's Contact Details

Mariko Okumotom's Company Details

Project Return

Nashville, TN, US • 20 - 49 Employees
Non-Profit

Project Return's mission is to provide services and connect people with resources needed to return successfully to work and community after incarceration. Our clients have statistically proven to be one-third less likely to recidivate than their counterparts who do not request the agency's services. The agency further benefits Nashville and surrounding communities by (1) relieving Tennessee's overcrowded prison system, (2) saving tax dollars used to re-incarcerate criminal recidivists, (3) preventing new crimes, and (4) contributing to the overall economic condition of the community by the entrance of new wage earners. Benefits total over $72,200 per year for each ex-offender who succeeds in staying out of prison: $5,000 in reduced property and victimization costs; $7,300 in reduced arrests and prosecution costs; $23,000 in unspent incarceration fees; $4,800 in reduced health care costs, and $32,100 in lost economic benefits to society. Underemployment or joblessness can trigger a downward spiral for the ex-offender, cycling him or her back into the prison system. In seeking employment for its clients -- and understanding that underemployment or joblessness can trigger a downward spiral for the ex-offender, cycling him or her back into the prison system -- the agency makes potential employers aware that the U.S. Department of Labor has a innovative Federal Bonding Program that will also help former offenders overcome barriers to joining the workforce by providing insurance policies to businesses to protect them in case of loss money or property as a result of employee dishonesty. Employers may also receive special tax incentives for each former offender that they employ.