JT Launches 'No Bars Reform' Initiative To Help Formerly Incarcerated Women Secure Jobs And Find Housing

According to the official website, she has announced the launch of “No Bars Reform,” an initiative that will aid in the transition from life behind bars to residing in a community.

This comes almost four years after JT herself served a nearly two-year sentence in a Tallahassee, FL, prison.

She was convicted of credit-card fraud in 2018, Rolling Stone reports. Upon her release in October 2019, she was admitted into a halfway house in Atlanta, GA, until March 2020, according to Hip Hop Vibe.

Now she is using the platform she has been given to help others who have served time and are looking for direction.

“…JT has vowed to use her voice and platform to help other incarcerated women rehabilitate into society by assisting with resources such as therapy, job placement, social services, and housing,” the official website reads.

The resources made available on the website are timely. Data from The Sentencing Project shows that while COVID-19 reduced the number of incarcerated women in 2020 to 152,854 — down from 210,291 in 2015 — the drop didn’t last. Since then, numbers spiked to 168,449 by 2021, a 10% increase. The dip was the only disruption in the steady increase in the number of women incarcerated between 1980 and 2021, which showed a rise of more than 525% from a total of 26,326 in 1980.

With rates continuing to increase, this means more work will be necessary to ensure individuals will be supported as they complete their sentencing to decrease the likelihood of recidivism.

Some of the resources amplified through JT’s “No Bars Reform,” include Felony Record Hub, a platform that lists “thousands of jobs” available to individuals with a records, and Time For Change, which provides housing and support services to homeless women and children. Also available, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ensures behavioral health services are accessible to those with mental and substance use disorders, and The Imani Breakthrough Project offers addiction recovery classes and education to those who have overcome abuse.