Union Pacific Hosts RISE Reentry Simulation at Omaha Headquarters
“The RISE reentry simulation was an incredibly impactful event for our team. It built a profound awareness of the challenges that justice-impacted individuals face, an awareness that I am confident our team will carry with them for many years to come.”
95% of people living in jails or prisons will return to the community at some point. Returning to the community after incarceration is crisis.
The barriers to returning to the community are numerous: housing and transportation instability, financial obligations, employment challenges, and social stigma, to name a few.
15% of RISE In-Prison Program graduates reported being unemployed at the time of their arrest. While we know stable employment isn’t the be-all, end-all for successful reentry, it’s definitely a big part of the puzzle.
The financial burden of returning home is overwhelming. Parole fees, legal costs, ankle monitor charges, child support, rent, utilities, transportation, groceries, healthcare—the list goes on. People need financial stability. They need meaningful, stable jobs. But more than that, they need empathy and support to truly succeed in those roles.
RISE offers a variety of reentry programs in Nebraska for people living in and out of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services in preparation for them to come home. In addition to our six-month character development and job readiness program, we offer an Employment Program further propelling RISE participant’s skills into the workforce beyond “survival jobs”.
While preparing individuals for a successful return is crucial, preparing the community and employers is just as important. People coming home are living the barriers every day—employers, housing authorities, and neighbors need to take the time to understand.
RISE hosts Reentry Simulations to Accelerate Empathy and Launch Solution-Based Conversations
“Engaging with people who have served time in prison is not a negotiable or avoidable action—it’s inevitable. As community members, especially those who hold positional power, we will either show up in ways that perpetuate harm and sustain these unbearable, inequitable cycles of incarceration. Or we can choose to show up in ways that promote healing, growth, and harm reduction individually, and collectively. The Reentry Simulation is a powerful entry point for community members to accelerate empathy and launch solution-based conversations that reach toward transformation.”
Caitlin Finn, Event Manager and Reentry Simulation Facilitator, RISE
While reentry can never be fully understood without personal lived experience, creating a learning experience can, at the very least, encourage empathy and avenue for change.
What is a Reentry Simulation?
Participants are given a "life card" and a mock identity representing an individual returning to the community after incarceration. They experience "four weeks" of reentry in about one hour, navigating transportation, finances, employment, housing, and various release requirements, such as drug testing and probation meetings.
During the simulation, participants may face challenges such as being unhoused, choosing between keeping their job and meeting with a probation officer, and other scenarios regularly encountered by returning citizens.
Union Pacific Establishes Second Chance Hiring Initiative
Union Pacific embarked on a journey in 2021 to establish a Second Chance hiring initiative, aimed at widening candidate pools and fostering inclusivity for individuals who have been justice-impacted.
To bring this initiative to life, Union Pacific collaborated with the Manufacturing Institute and Envoy, leveraging their expertise in inclusive hiring practices. Together, they built partnerships with high-performing reentry and workforce organizations in Houston, Texas. Within the first three months of these partnerships and their pilot program, Union Pacific welcomed nearly 100 applicants. This initiative led to the creation of new lines of communication between these trusted community organizations and the Union Pacific hiring team, resulting in their first hires through the Second Chance initiative in March 2022.
Following the success of the pilot program in Houston, Union Pacific expanded the initiative across the Union Pacific network. Today, the program has blossomed into more than 170 community partnerships across 17 locations, including RISE in Omaha. Over the past three years, they have hired over 100 second chance employees, and continue to refine their approach to better support justice-impacted individuals. The strength of these partnerships continues to evolve, enhancing career opportunities and improving the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.
Union Pacific Hosts RISE Reentry Simulation for Workforce and Management Teams
On Nov. 13, 2024, RISE facilitated a reentry simulation for 60 Union Pacific employees from across the country at the company's Omaha, Nebraska, headquarters. As a strong employment partner of RISE, Union Pacific's commitment to offering this learning experience affirmed that solutions to the barriers faced in reentry are possible, supporting the company's Second Chance hiring initiative.
"As a reentry non-profit, it's encouraging to partner with an organization like Union Pacific (UP) that has put a stake in the ground to make second-chance hiring a priority. Having the UP team participate in a reentry simulation with RISE shows their commitment to equipping their staff with a better understanding of the challenges people face returning home from prison and how to help those folks overcome employment barriers. UP is leading the way in second-chance hiring and knows that fighting for social justice and having a competitive advantage in the workforce can be shared goals."
Jeremy Bouman, CEO, RISE
With the help of 30 RISE volunteers, program graduates, and support from RISE staff, the Union Pacific team fully immersed themselves in a challenging and thought-provoking experience that remained focused on solutions.
“Participation in the RISE simulation was the most impactful training program I have ever participated in. It really made me think about life and the situations that people find themselves in, how difficult it can be to change your course, and the seemingly unfair obstacles people have to face. Thank you for introducing me to this program that is really making a difference!”
Pam Lammers, Director Workforce Resources Business Partner, Union Pacific
The Foundation of Meaningful Change
Empathy and understanding are the foundation of meaningful change. Learning opportunities like the RISE Reentry Simulation are crucial in breaking down misconceptions and fostering a shared commitment to solutions. By engaging in this powerful learning experience, organizations like Union Pacific are not only expanding opportunities for justice-impacted individuals but also paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable workforce. Together, we can build communities where second chances lead to lasting success.
