Hats off to Steve Shelton. The 58-year-old has been honored with the Manhattan Institute’s Civil Society Award for his work in creating the nonprofit Trade Institute of Pittsburgh.
Ten years ago, Mr. Shelton, a Navy veteran and a lifelong tradesman, founded this philanthropic enterprise to help ex-offenders get back on their feet by offering free training for jobs in the construction trades. His idea turned out to be a great success.
Mr. Shelton’s school offers training and employment opportunities in masonry, carpentry and welding. Unemployment rates of ex-offenders are alarming. According to a 2016 policy brief released by the National Employment Law Project, 60% to 75% of former inmates were not employed in their first year of being released. A lot end up in prison again.
Those who complete Mr. Shelton’s training buck this trend. More than 90% of his graduates are being hired at a starting wage of $15 an hour. Some 9% ended up behind bars again after one year, according to data provided by Mr. Shelton — disappointing until compared with the state recidivism rate in the double digits, according to state figures.
Mr. Shelton’s trade school has helped some 400 men and women gain a solid pathway to a steady job and livable wage over the years and decreased the odds of them falling again into the clutches of the criminal justice system. And that saves the taxpayer a lot of money. According to data gathered by the Vera Institute of Justice for a May 2017 report titled “The Price of Prison,” a single prisoner costs Pennsylvania almost $43,000 a year.
A less obvious benefit of his work: As the baby boomer generation is about to retire and more young people choose college, there is a gap for skilled construction workers. The Trade Institute is helping to fill that.
Each year, the Manhattan Institute in New York City conducts a nationwide search to find a worthy recipient of its $25,000 Civil Society Award, which recognizes nonprofit leaders who work to prevent or ameliorate a social challenge. Mr. Shelton — picked from more than 100 nominees — fits the bill and then some.
The award will be presented in New York City on Oct. 16.
First Published: August 28, 2019, 10:30 a.m.