South Carolina Senator Karl Allen was recently recognized by Greenville Technical College (GTC) as a champion of second chances for his many efforts to provide opportunities for the poor, the underserved, and the under-skilled.
Allen, who serves on the Senate Corrections and Penology Committee and chairs the S.C. Expungement Committee hosts a Second Chance Forum each year, with speakers from Greenville Technical College, the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the Solicitor’s Office, and the Pre-Trial Intervention Program. In the program’s five years, 3,000 ex-offenders have attended to learn about opportunities including GTC’s Quick Jobs program, which can deliver job skills, typically in 90 days or less.
The Corrections and Penology Committee also provides funding for the Self-Paced In-Class Education (SPICE) program, an inmate education and employment initiative. This partnership between the SC Department of Corrections, SC Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, and the state’s technical colleges has a strong track record in assisting inmates to transition upon release.
Allen authored a bill signed into law by Gov. Nikki Haley to create the South Carolina Expungement Study Committee and has been elected chairman of that committee.
Allen has also worked to establish the Greenville Re-entry Coalition with the Greenville Chamber, the legislature, and educators to bring the community together to assist those who need second chances. His motivation, he says, is to help the least of these. “Greenville Technical College has been a wonderful partner in reaching those with blights on their records who need and deserve a second chance at success,” he said.
“We are pleased to recognize the strong contributions Sen. Allen has made to the Upstate through sustained efforts to assist people who have at one time made a mistake,” said Dr. Keith Miller, president of Greenville Technical College. “Through these efforts that one mistake can be left in the past as people have an opportunity to move forward.”