The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is dedicated to providing immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services to men and women with recent criminal convictions.

Georgia spends more than $1 billion per year on prison expenditures equating to nearly $20,000 annually per person. Over 3,000 citizens return to metro Atlanta each year and the recidivism rate is greater than 30%, a significant social and economic cost.

Relying on highly structured and tightly supervised programs, CEO works with participants to regain the skills and confidence needed for successful transitions to stable, productive lives. Their four step process – incorporating life skills education, short-term paid transitional employment, full-time job placement and post-placement services – reaches formerly incarcerated people at their most vulnerable point, when they are newly released from incarceration or soon after conviction. With a boost from CEO, participants are less likely to become reincarcerated and more likely to build a foundation for a stable, productive life for themselves and their families. Several studies testify to CEO’s success: a 16-22% reduction in recidivism and higher levels of immediate and long term employment. Local businesses benefit too, gaining a well-trained, reliable work force that provides the skills and work ethic needed to compete.