Edith Page, a Registered Nurse of 30 years, was sentenced to prison for an offense she did not commit. Despite her long history of public service, glowing character references, not being convicted of a crime, and having no previous offenses, she still spent a year in prison. Now, after getting off probation in 2020, Edith is studying for her Juris Doctorate at Georgia State University, becoming as employable as possible, and getting her record expunged. For job readiness and record expungement, she turned to Integrity for help.
Edith heard about Integrity’s services through Women on the Rise. Women on the Rise is a grassroots organization led by women of color who are impacted or targeted by the legal system.
Through Integrity, Edith has completed the NET program for job readiness and professional development and is enrolled in the Next50 program. Edith is in touch with her case manager and the staff at Integrity on a regular basis, which she finds incredibly helpful. “Half the battle is getting information, knowing where to go and who to talk to and what your needs are. So, you know, if you don’t even know what to do next, how can you move forward? They’ve been very good at helping me with the job readiness and professional development and the emailing back and forth, it’s been really great.”
Along with soft skills training and assistance finding a job, Integrity is also helping Edith to obtain an official document that says that once she has her degree in criminal justice, she is employable. Edith also attended an online Expungement workshop, hosted by Integrity and Goodwill of North Georgia.
Edith said that Integrity has helped her jump-start her search for employment, and that Integrity has instilled her with confidence despite being discouraged by the “Felon” label on her record. “Now that I’ve practiced my elevator speech, completed the professional development class, written out my smart goals, and received such encouragement from Mr. Walter Evans in class, I’m well on my way to financial success again. Not only will I continue my studies at GSU, but feel confident about getting back out in the workforce of society.”
You can read more about Edith’s journey in her book, “IMPRISONED, BUT NOT BOUND: Locked Up, But Not Locked Down.”