Employment is the key to reducing recidivism
Derrick G. Patrick
COM/150
November 09, 2012
Dr. David Willis
Employment is the Key to reducing recidivism
Individuals returning from incarceration each year live in virtually every zip code in the country. Most ex-offenders have every intention of becoming productive, tax paying citizens, and no intention of returning to the penal system. However ex-offenders are largely on their own when returning to our communities. They are often estranged from families and friends, and are increasingly faced with tremendous challenges upon their release. Most are simply unprepared for the challenges they will encounter in the attempt to restore normalcy to their lives – finding a
…show more content…
To do so, ex-offenders need coaching on job search techniques specific to their needs and circumstances.” (Anderson, D. 2008) One could argue that those with a criminal history aren’t that big a deal, that they don’t make up enough of the population to matter, however, “sixty-five million Americans—or one in four adults—have a criminal record. But employers—including major companies like Bank of America, Omni Hotel, and Domino's Pizza—routinely post job ads on Craigslist that explicitly exclude such applicants, according to a new report conducted by the National Employment Law Center (NELP), a labor-affiliated advocacy group.” (Roth, 2011) So to have the opinion that these people don’t matter, is equivalent to dismissing one quarter of the population. The only alternative for them is public assistance or returning to crime, either way it puts an extra burden and added strain to everyone else.
The practice of not hiring those with criminal records has become widespread and almost the norm in today’s economic times. “Many employers use outside companies that specialize in background checks—a fast-growing industry—to help screen out applicants with criminal records. A 2009 investigation by the state of New York found that RadioShack, working with the background check firm ChoicePoint, created a system that asked applicants "Have you been convicted of a felony in the past 7 years?" and
A person who may have made bad decisions in the past and decides to change his or her life, can’t get a job. You must have a job to get what you need and want. A person must have a job to take care of their family, eat, and live a normal life. It’s the start of having a piece of mind and knowing that they can get better. When a person has a criminal background such as assault or drug charges, society does not accept that a person can change and be a better person.
Ex-offenders face many challenges after being released into society after prison. This prolonged issue has gone on for quite some time in the United States, and it has been since recent decade that the United States has discovered reentry for prisoners (Johnson & Cullen, 2015). In 2007, the Second Chance Act of 2007 was introduced to break the cycle of recidivism; to rebuild ties between offenders and their families before and after incarcerated to encourage and support offenders; to protect the public; to provide and promote law-abiding conduct; to assist offenders in establishing a self-sustaining and law-abiding life providing sufficient transition
Ex-offenders face challenges at every level when reentering back into society. These handicaps come in many forms that involve the community in the transitioning process. It is critical to involve the neighborhood in establishing a natural guidance in the criminal justice process (Young and Taxman, 2002). Informal agents and the community should establish an inherent connection with the offender through Re-Entry Partnership Initiative (Young and Taxman, 2002). The Re-Entry Partnership Initiative was designed to assist those facing significant barriers due to former confinement or other circumstances as they re-enter the community and the workforce. This sense of accountability and ownership is a powerful advantage. The neighborhood involvement sends a
New York State needs to pass statewide legislation, so that all communities, not just a few cities, can benefit from this policy. I am proposing that the law would replicate the New York City Fair Chance Act (Intro 318), one of the strongest Ban the Box policies nationwide, requiring private and public sector employers to delay any inquiry about criminal record history until after a conditional job offer. The legislation should state that if, after receiving information regarding the applicant’s record, the employer no longer chooses to employ the applicant, the employer must explain why and provide a copy of the record. The position is then held open for three days, so the employer and applicant can engage in an interactive discussion, considering
Phillip it is clear that you have a complete explanation of the back ground requirement that so many employers utilize to classify potential employees. Yet with this classification many very capable candidates are quickly eliminated for either old run in’s with the law or youthful ignorance. To this end, we as a society have alienated the youth who have fallen into the trap of conviction of a crime. Clearly it is not necessary to penalize people who have repaid their debt to society for their life making them unfit for hire. The question is what is the answer to solve this injustice that is imposed on these candidates? In my view companies could have what they call a conditional hire that would go longer for a year than a traditional 90 day
Offering former convicted felons a chance of employment is more than a good idea. As the article states, “this allows people the opportunity to receive a second chance in society.” The idea of eliminating questions regarding a criminal record gives former convicts a sense of acceptance in the work field. The pros of “ban the box,” provides an opportunity for employers to not show discrimination against people who have a criminal background. Additionally, it gives former convicts a possibility to not limit themselves in the job field that they are interested in. The cons of “ban the box” gives former convicts the courage to fill out a job application and possibly an interview, but may not be able to move forward in the employment process if
One of the primary problems in Kentucky is the unemployment rate of people with criminal backgrounds that caused the use of 'ban the box’ by employers in all but one city in Kentucky and among many other states. Former inmates often face restrictions in different situations that may include housing, voting and employment (Hoskins, 2014). The problem does not affect only those people in Kentucky, but also other states in the United States and even in other countries. The majority of the employers show reluctance to absorb people who have criminal records. Some of the studies show that more than half of the employers will discriminate an individual due to their incarceration records (NIJ, 2013). Even in a situation that they find employment,
The criminal background of the offender possibilities of obtaining employment because many employers are not willing to hired ex-convicts. According to the authors “A survey of 3,000 employers in four major metropolitan areas revealed that two-thirds would not knowingly hire an ex-prisoner” (Abadinsky, 2015, p.182). The effects of the criminal record are crucial to the offender’s involvement in crime. The lack of employment is directed to poor financial stability and reinvolvement in crime. Statistics demonstrate the employers negative view on the criminal record “The results showed that there was a reduction of 50 per cent in the
Ban the box is a known campaign that aims to help ex-convicts or ex-felons to successfully be employed and moreover, to reintegrate back into the society by giving them with equal rights. The goal of this particular proposal is to reduce recidivism among ex-convicts, and to cut down its crime rates by doing so. However, the author believes that the impact of such legislations is not positive for many employers. This is due to the fact of employers being uncertain about ones criminal background at an initial stage of hiring someone new. Often time, ban the box pushed background checks towards the ending point of recruiting process, because signify costs will have been incurred when selecting potential
Many would say that offenders are hopeless and if one looks at the rate of recidivism, one would definitely think that our nation’s offenders are indeed hopeless. However, what if there was a way to reduce the rate of recidivism and at the same time rehabilitate offenders in order to make them functioning members of the community? Reentry programs that are implemented correctly cannot only reduce the rate of recidivism but at the same time help to rehabilitate an offender through education, treatment, and therapy. The Second Chance At is a law that went into effect April 29, 2008 (P.L. 110-199) and it allows government agencies to provide services to offenders that will help to reduce the rate of recidivism as well as improve the
Discussing the methods in which Pager used, the following consisted of conducting surveys for employers, ethnographic studies of the jobless, statistical analyses of employment patterns & experimental studies of hiring behavior, as well as experimental studies of hiring behavior. Starting with the surveys, they gathered a large group of participants, asking as to whether a criminal record would be a determining factor in hiring a potential employee. Based on the studies, it was shown that it does have strong impact, stating that there’d been “…a strong reluctance on the part of employees to have applicants with criminal histories…” (Pager, 41) The second method was the statistical analyses of employment trajectories. This was meant to “identify reliable patterns in the experiences and outcomes of individuals with varying characteristics.” (Pager, 46) In this part, the main objective was to figure
and Australia have similarities in the protection of individuals with a history of incarceration. In both cases, it is evident that the people suffer from similar problems. A criminal record can have a significant impact on a person's employment prospects. In both the U.S. and Australia individuals who have a criminal record often face significant barriers to fully participation in the society. Trying to find a job is one of the areas of greatest difficulty for former convicts. Everyone believes that no matter what a person's criminal record, each person's ability to fulfill that jobs requirement should be assessed on a case-by-case basis to avoid
In 2015, there were 6,741,400 individuals in the United States who are under some form of supervision in the correctional system (Kaeble & Glaze, 2016). While this number was the lowest since 1994, it illustrates there is still a significant number of people who will be seeking employment upon reentering society. Studies have shown that recidivism is increased by legitimate and satisfying employment, particularly amongst those with higher quality and better paying jobs (Visher, Winterfield, & Coggeshall, 2005). While many offenders were employed prior to incarceration, many have not held steady jobs and may not have the education and job skills to find steady employment. Additionally, longer sentences equate to longer gaps in employment and experience. While many correctional systems provide vocational training, opportunities to learn basic skills, and GED classes; offenders still need assistance navigating the job search process. Furthermore, they often need assistance with housing, childcare, counseling, medical care, and food. Therefore, it is important to provide this population with resources to meet their basic needs, in addition to, locating satisfying employment, education, and skills training. While this population may need assistance with resumes, cover letters, and interviewing, they are also faced with a need for education regarding their rights and how to disclose their criminal background to potential
The idea for this perspective program is an agency for people to be able to find, not only jobs, but careers after they have been convicted of a crime, even if it is a smaller offense. Being able to find job placement is important to the community, because men and women who have been convicted of crimes have a decrease in their chances of finding a jobs after they have criminal records. Many jobs require background check to verify if the employee has any criminal records. Many employers do not want to risk that they might be employing someone, who has a background of making bad decisions and many do not want to risk that the employee might commit a criminal act at the workplace. This can be even more prominent is the person has charges such
Criminal record checks are high in demand for decision makers to predict future unwanted behaviors during employment screening. Employers conduct background checks on job applicants for several reasons. One reason may be to confirm their moral character. Another reason may be the desire to assess their risk of committing crimes that could cause somatic, monetary, and reputational damage to the company. Consequently, if a person has had their record expunged then it isn’t protecting the company at all, it only allows them to see what they would like. Background checks act as a filter for the ideal candidate, for