LITTLE ROCK – Leaders in government, law and business came together this morning at Little Rock City Hall to share details of Rights After Wrongs, an event designed to provide support and services to those who have been incarcerated.

Rights After Wrongs will bring together nearly two dozen partners, public and private, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Saturday, Oct. 16, at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, 10900 Rodney Parham Road, to offer legal consultation, record sealing, notary services, job opportunities and other re-entry assistance. The event will also feature a drive thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic with incentives funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Registration is required for vaccination at this clinic: https://vaccinesignup.uams.edu/mobileclinic

“Providing the wraparound services that the agencies represented here today provide leads to successful reintegration and not only success, but outright exoneration in some people’s hearts and minds for people coming from situations they deeply regret,” said W.J. Monagle, representing the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services and the Little Rock Workforce Development Board.

Jonathon Hutto, an attorney with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, discussed the importance of record sealing and the effect that can have on a person’s ability to secure things like housing and employment. He requested participants interested in record sealing make an appointment before the event by calling 501-376-3423 and bring their criminal history report on Saturday.

Calvin Taylor, of Custom Craft Poultry, spoke representing businesses who will be present and seeking applicants.

“We will be on site this Saturday. We will have applications there for people who are in the market for opportunity. We want you,” he said.

A beneficiary of the services provided by Rights After Wrongs, Naeem Rasul, spoke about the impact they’ve had on his life since release in 2018.

“Upon being released and partnering with the City of Little Rock, Central Arkansas ReEntry Coalition and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, I was able to obtain my Class A commercial driver’s license,” he said. “This allowed me to obtain and maintain gainful employment, assisting me with the opportunity to provide for myself and my family with pride and dignity.”

For more information on Rights After Wrongs, contact Dwight Pridgeon, Re-entry Coordinator, at 501-580-0064 or 501-690-8210.

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