Louisiana leaders are pushing second chance hiring to help solve the state’s workforce shortage. Each month, 900 to 1,200 people leave prison and return to their communities. Business and policy leaders say this group represents a strong and willing labor pool. Recent tours of Angola prison highlighted job training programs that teach inmates useful skills before release. Lawmakers also discussed re-entry courts, which guide participants and hold them accountable as they prepare for work. Supporters believe steady jobs lower repeat crime, improve public safety, and give employers the workers they urgently need across Louisiana.