Brooklyn DA Sets Up Boutique To Give Ex-Offenders Free Job Attire

DOWNTOWN, BROOKLYN — A new boutique set up at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office will help New Yorkers who just got out of jail find a new job, the DA announced.

The Kenneth P. Thompson Boutique, named for the late former district attorney, officially opened at the office's "Re-Entry Bureau" on Joralemon Street on Tuesday. The shop will be run by nonprofit 100 Suits for 100 Men, which already has spots in Harlem and Queens.

Just like at their other locations, the Brooklyn shop will set up ex-offenders with new professional clothes that they can use to look for and secure a job.

“In Brooklyn, we are committed to strengthening community trust in the criminal justice system and our commitment to justice does not end when a person is released from prison," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "It is our obligation to aid their reintegration into the community. This boutique is a great tool to help ex-offenders increase their self-esteem and get on the right path with access to professional work attire as they prepare for job interviews and seek to obtain employment. "

Aside from clothes, the boutique will help recently-released New Yorkers with personal empowerment, the DA said.

It will find its clients through those that already are in the re-entry bureau's programs. The bureau includes three case management-based programs serving individuals who have been in prison or faced another form of removal from the community in the criminal justice system.

It currently serves 300 individuals and also includes A "Gender-responsive Re-entry Assistance and Support Program" (GRASP), which serves younger people, primarily women.

Lu-Shawn Thompson, widow of the late DA Ken Thompson, said that her husband would be proud to have his name associated with the new boutique addition to the bureau.

"He would have been an avid supporter of Kevin Livingston and his amazing work," she said. "He would also have been pleased that Eric Gonzalez and the Brooklyn DA’s office are continuing to keep his legacy alive by continuing to make strides in criminal justice reform.”