Jails-to-Jobs Pipeline Project & Redefining Justice: PhD Student Michel-Ange Siaba’s Role in Reimagining Reentry

By Enryka Christopher

In a system where punitive approaches show limited success, Northeastern Criminology PhD student Michel-Ange Siaba is working to transform how we help those with criminal records reintegrate into society. Through his work with Northeastern University’s Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project, Siaba is tackling one of criminal justice reform’s most persistent challenges: creating viable pathways back to employment and community integration. 

“We need to raise awareness of systems that don’t punish, because punishment hasn’t been fixing anything,” Siaba explains. “We need to try some sort of rehabilitative approach instead, and people just aren’t aware that these alternatives exist.”  

Siaba’s journey to this work began during his undergraduate studies in criminology, first at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt before he transferred to Stonehill College in Massachusetts to complete his bachelor’s degree. However, it was his post-graduation experience working directly with incarcerated individuals that truly shaped his perspective. 

“My first job out of college, I was working as a group counselor at a Massachusetts prison,” Siaba recalls. There, he witnessed firsthand the contradictions in prison programming. “We used to teach these classes about reentry, and people would often say, ‘I’m learning these things now, but I’m not getting out for another few years,’ while others would tell me, ‘I’ve been waiting on this list for years, and I’m getting out in a month, but I’m not on your list.'” 

These experiences revealed systemic disconnects between services and needs — a gap that eventually motivated Siaba to pursue further education at Northeastern University, where he felt he could explore more innovative research approaches.

The Birth of Jail-to-Jobs 

Siaba’s current work with the Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project began after attending a presentation by Northeastern Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), Dr. Deborah A. Ramirez. The project emerged from investigations conducted by Professor Ramirez and her late husband, Chief Justice Ralph Gants, into systemic inequalities within the criminal justice system. 

“They wanted to know why there were so many disparities in our court system, the extent of the injustice, and what we could do to address the issues,” explains Siaba. Chief Justice Gants’ final report highlighted alarming recidivism rates, prompting him to bring together judges as “problem solvers” who could address the incarceration crisis by providing resources from the beginning of a person’s interaction with the justice system. 

After Chief Justice Gants passed away, Professor Ramirez continued this vital work, establishing the Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project. The initiative is in partnership with the Office of Community Corrections, which oversees Community Justice Support Centers (CJSC) throughout Massachusetts.  

A New Approach to Reentry 

The CJSCs represent a significant shift from traditional correctional models. “Previous models were more punitive,” Siaba notes, “but now they’ve adopted much more trauma-informed, community-based programming.” 

When someone enters the program—either through court referral as an alternative to incarceration or voluntarily as someone with a record seeking assistance—they undergo a comprehensive risk and needs assessment. This collaborative process results in a personalized reentry plan that addresses their specific challenges. 

The centers provide a range of services through reentry coordinators and employment coordinators. Reentry coordinators help with fundamental needs like housing applications and maintenance, while employment coordinators function like coaches, helping clients build resumes, identify transferable skills, and prepare for job interviews. The centers even provide practical support like professional clothing for interviews and transportation vouchers. Chief Justice Gants and Professor Ramirez had also secured an additional $2 million in funding specifically for people who aren’t currently under supervision but still have records and need assistance — a population often overlooked by existing programs. 

Research Meets Practice 

For Siaba, the Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project represents a perfect intersection of research and practical impact. “I’m interested in incarceration, punishment, and reentry,” he explains. “The thing I care about is how we label a certain group of people as criminal and push them to the edge of society without necessarily having a mechanism to bring them back in.” 

One current initiative Siaba is working on involves developing a certificate of employment or rehabilitation that helps people engaged in community-based programming demonstrate their growth and commitment to change. This project offers a research

opportunity to study what certificate elements are the most meaningful indicators to employers, while simultaneously creating a tangible tool that might help program participants secure employment. 

“We’re trying to make as much of a symbiotic relationship as we can,” Siaba says of the connection between research and practical applications. “It gives me the opportunity to hop in and out of different parts of the system — one week focused more on judges and data, the next on the back end with parole. It’s a good way to see the whole spectrum of the system.” 

As reentry and rehabilitation continue to gain attention in criminal justice reform conversations, Siaba’s work offers a promising model for how research-backed interventions can create more effective pathways back into society for those with criminal records. By shifting from punishment to rehabilitation and providing practical supports for employment and reintegration, the Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project demonstrates that there are alternatives to the cycles of incarceration that have defined American criminal justice for decades. 

Through this work, Siaba continues to pursue the questions that first drew him to this field: How do we meaningfully encourage people to reenter society after incarceration? And how can we transform a system focused on punishment into one that is also invested in rehabilitation and second chances? 

Photo Credits: Jails-to-Jobs Pipeline Project