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GREENSBORO – High Point Police and the High Point Community Against Violence came together Wednesday to announce a new partnership with the group America Works to help ex-offenders find jobs.

Police Chief Jim Fealy says more often than not, inmates go right back to a life of crime after their release.

"We're a society that tells people, 'You're going to jail for what you've done.' When they get out, we expect you to straighten up, fly right, get a job and be a good citizen. But you can't have a job. We can't do that any longer," Fealy said.

Fealy, along with the High Point Community Against Violence, hope those days are over. Tuesday, officials announced a new program for ex-offenders in High Point called America Works.

"Our plan is to work closely with the High Point community, CAV, police department with people who are ex-offenders who have decided they wish to go straight but can't get jobs. We're going to work with them to get them jobs," America Works co-founder Peter Cove said.

America Works was founded 25 years ago. It has helped people around the country find jobs.

"We've placed over 175,000 people in jobs. Our work varies from community to community. In Oakland, California, we do an ex-offender program. In Baltimore, we do both ex-offender and we do welfare recipients. In New York, we do everything," Cove said.

Community Against Violence Executive Director Jim Summey feels America Works will go along well with their goal to make High Point safer.

"It's going to be a pilot program for North Carolina where we can take these offenders, train them get them at the best peak of their possibilities and present them to employers to employee them and put them to work. That means they're no longer sitting around doing nothing and allowing their mind to go amiss," Summey said.

And it may prevent future crimes in the area, as well.

"It's not about jobs. Frankly, from my viewpoint, it's not about helping ex-offenders. It's about crime reduction, pure and simple. And this is another tool that we're going to use to reduce violent crime in this city," Fealy said.

Officials from America Works hope to incorporate job placement programs for war veterans and welfare recipients.