Lowcountry Civic Justice Corps

The Noisette Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, founded in 2004 with a goal of developing and promoting healthy pathways to economic and social opportunities, is proud to present the Lowcountry Civic Justice Corps to North Charleston and the surrounding neighborhoods. The LCJC has taken on the mission of making men, whom by many are considered liabilities, into community assets. Individuals who complete the program re-enter the community with a renewed sense of accountability and civic responsibility. Trained in all areas of carpentry and “Green” building and supplied with vocational training, computer skills, financial literacy training and mentoring they are equipped with viable job skills, an improved level of education and the support needed to successfully make a positive transition back into society. The increasing need for the LCJC and programs like it has become evident not just to our local area, but nationally, in recent years. The idea of building the character of incarcerated individuals through job training, education, and accountability laid the foundation for this innovative reentry model. After extensive research and careful planning, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) selected North Charleston, Central Oregon, and Washington D.C. as three national pilot demonstration sites for the Civic Justice Corps. This partnership with CNCS provides the opportunity for LCJC members to serve as AmeriCorps members for 5 months, earning a $2300 education award upon completion of 900 hours of community service. Our North Charleston site, known as the Lowcountry Civic Justice Corps, receives additional funding from the Jeht Foundation, the Open Society Institute (under the Soros Foundation), and fee-for-service work in the community. New LCJC members are selected by the Noisette Foundation in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Corrections using a process of careful screening, interviews and testing of several eager applicants from the Coastal Pre-Release Center in North Charleston. With a growing awareness among the public and the inmate population the number of applicants increases with each new session. So far the LCJC has successfully completed three sessions and on July 14, 2008 will begin its fourth session, which will consist of eleven new men and two exceptional veterans. Our intention is for each Corps member to grasp the skills taught by the LCJC and apply those skills to their daily lives after incarceration...