Orijin Acquires Honest Jobs to Create the First End-to-End Education-to-Employment Pathway for Justice-Involved Individuals in the U.S.

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Orijin, a national leader in correctional education and workforce development technology, today announced the acquisition of Honest Jobs, a national fair-chance employment platform connecting formerly incarcerated individuals with job opportunities and reentry resources.

The acquisition unites Orijin’s education, rehabilitation, and workforce preparation platform with Honest Jobs’ national employer network and reentry technology, creating the only comprehensive end-to-end pathway connecting incarceration to meaningful employment.

The acquisition positions Orijin to serve the full justice continuum—including parole, probation, and community corrections—delivering a proven workforce solution that keeps justice-involved individuals employed, supported, and permanently out of the system.

Completing the Continuum from Learning to Employment

For justice-involved individuals, reentry begins long before release. Orijin prepares learners inside correctional facilities through education, vocational training, and career readiness programming, which has led to meaningful results for correctional jurisdictions across the country including in Blount County, Tennessee where recidivism dropped by 50% and Hancock County, Indiana that saved more than $4.4 million taxpayer dollars by effectively preparing its incarcerated population for reentry. Honest Jobs extends this impact beyond the facility walls by providing direct access to fair-chance employers and reentry resources nationwide.

Together, the combined platform creates a seamless continuum of opportunity, from learning and credential attainment to real, verified employment pathways. It strengthens reentry outcomes by aligning educational investments with measurable employment pathways all while streamlining program administration and reducing reliance on disconnected vendors.

“Reentry success does not start at the prison gate. It starts inside,” said Arti Finn, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Orijin. “For years, correctional leaders have invested in education and workforce preparation, yet too often the pathway to employment after release remains fragmented and difficult to navigate. By bringing Honest Jobs into the Orijin platform, we are connecting preparation to opportunity in a direct and measurable way. This is about turning education into real outcomes.”

Addressing a Critical Gap in the Market

While many correctional education providers offer coursework and training programs, few, if any, have built direct, scalable connections to employers actively seeking second-chance talent.

Honest Jobs brings a national fair-chance job board featuring more than 300,000 openings from 1,500+ employers, along with a resource directory containing over 200,000 social services. The platform has been recognized by Forbes, Bloomberg, NPR, and Harvard Business School for its leadership in advancing fair-chance employment.

Its employer relationships, industry credibility, and proven track record fill a critical gap in the corrections ecosystem: verified pathways to jobs that are tailored for and welcoming of justice-impacted talent.

“As someone who experienced incarceration firsthand, I built Honest Jobs to ensure people leaving prison had a real opportunity to rebuild their lives,” said Harley Blakeman, Founder and CEO of Honest Jobs who will join Orijin as Director of Business Development. “By integrating with Orijin, we now gain visibility into the talent pipeline before release—allowing us to align employer demand with the education and workforce training individuals are completing inside facilities, and proactively build employer partnerships around verified skills. Together, we are creating a scalable bridge from incarceration to sustainable employment.”

Value for Parole, Probation, and Community Corrections Partners

The addition of Honest Jobs expands Orijin’s reach beyond facility walls and into community-based supervision environments. For parole, probation, and community corrections, the combined platform provides a comprehensive set of tools to fully support justice-involved individuals on their reentry journey.

“This acquisition reflects a meaningful step forward in Orijin’s long-term growth and impact,” said Harris Ferrell, CEO of Orijin. “By bringing Honest Jobs into our platform, we are expanding beyond correctional facilities and into parole, probation, community corrections. This positions Orijin to support the full continuum of reentry while increasing our ability to scale nationally and serve a broader range of partners. Harley Blakeman is one of the most respected entrepreneurs in reentry, and we are thrilled he is joining Orijin to accelerate this next phase of growth.”

For probation, parole, and community corrections agencies, this acquisition enables Orijin to provide tools to increase employability and support sustainable, long-term outcomes for supervised populations.

Integration of the Honest Jobs platform into Orijin’s managed learning platform will begin immediately, with phased enhancements rolling out throughout 2026. The Honest Jobs Reentry Navigator will also be offered as a standalone solution for probation, parole, community corrections, and reentry nonprofit partners.

About Orijin

Orijin is transforming how correctional jurisdictions prepare incarcerated populations for employment. The Orijin platform delivers comprehensive learning and workforce development experiences, supported by motivational tools for learners and actionable insights for correctional staff. Orijin partners with jurisdictions and agencies including Massachusetts Department of Correction, Tennessee Department of Labor, and North Carolina Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to accelerate employability, ensuring that learning investments translate to reentry successes. As a public benefit corporation, Orijin is on a mission to prepare every justice-impacted individual for sustainable employment and change corrections for good. For more information, visit www.orijin.works.

About Honest Jobs

Honest Jobs is a platform designed to facilitate the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into the community by connecting them with job opportunities and reentry resources. The platform features a national fair-chance job board with 300,000+ openings from 1,500+ employers and a resource directory with 200,000+ social services. Honest Jobs has been recognized by Forbes, Bloomberg, NPR, and Harvard Business School, solidifying its position as a leader in fair chance employment.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Nell Hurley
Marketing & Communications
(646) 960-6938
nell.hurley@orijin.works