Isaac Ashley Young, former official cleared by high court.

Since 2013, Dr. Isaac Ashley Young has served as an employment specialist at Mid-Atlantic States Career & Education Center (MASCEC) in Pennsville, New Jersey. In that role, he coaches and counsels ex-offenders as they return to the workforce. Over the course of a 20-plus-year career in civic service, Dr. Isaac Ashley Young has obtained grants in various areas, including education, community development, and reentry for ex-offenders.

In 2008, the US Congress passed the Second Chance Act (SCA) as part of its efforts to assist government agencies and nonprofit organizations in reducing recidivism rates among previously incarcerated adult and juvenile offenders. Under the act, the US Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs funds and administers grants that help ex-offenders overcome challenges related to mental health issues, substance use, housing, education, and employment.

Since being signed into law, the SCA has awarded over 840 grants to local and state agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofit groups in 49 states as well as the District of Columbia and US territories. Thanks to the grants, an estimated 164,000 people have had the opportunity to participate in various support programs as they returned to the community after serving time in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities.

Dr. Isaac Ashley Young is an experienced administrator, educator, and employment counselor based in New Jersey. Serving in the parole employment placement program with Mid-Atlantic States Career and Education Center, Dr. Isaac Ashley Young spends his free time conducting workshops on writing grants.

Responsible for research and writing proposals seeking funding, grant writers help individuals, organizations, communities, and groups find the money they need to support their continued operation. Most grant writers have a bachelor’s in a field that requires a lot of writing, such as journalism, English, and marketing. In addition to a degree, grant writers need to have a good understanding of local, state, and federal grant policies and regulations.

While a bachelor’s is typically preferred, it’s not the only way a person can become a grant writer. To be successful, professionals must have superior writing, organizing, and researching skills. This can be obtained either through hands-on experience or by taking certification programs in grant writing. Some grant writing organizations also offer grant writing certifications.

Finally, grant writers need at least one to two years of experience in grant writing as well as familiarity with the industry in which they wish to work. In fact, many employers place greater emphasis on grant writing experience than field of study. To obtain this experience, future grant writers can either volunteer their service or complete internships in the field.

Dr. Isaac Ashley Young, an experienced counselor and educator, has more than two decades of experience in public administration and education. Dr. Young serves as an employment specialist at Mid-Atlantic States Career and Education Center in New Jersey, where he works to increase opportunities of parolees and reduce recidivism.

Recidivism occurs when a person who has engaged in criminal behavior reoffends after previously being convicted of a criminal offense. This tendency to relapse into criminal behavior is a core challenge facing the criminal justice system, as it hinders efforts to reduce crime and rehabilitate individuals who commit criminal acts. Alternatively, the term desistance refers to criminal offenders resisting the tendency to relapse into crime after their release from incarceration.

Another reason recidivism rises to the forefront of challenges facing the criminal justice system is that rates are so high. Recent research found that nearly 70 percent of released prisoners were rearrested within three years of their release, and that over 75 percent were rearrested within five years of release. Moreover, over 55 percent of released prisoners are arrested again within a year of their release.