Giving People A Second Chance By Ernest Martinez

Last, in most prisons they have disciplinary credits. This is a system originally created as an incentive for good behavior. It gives inmates the opportunity to take educational classes, such as GED instruction, literacy education, and substance abuse treatment. There are also vocational programs that inmates can take to learn a trade or skill. Each class or program that is completed the inmate receives points or credits. Points can be used to shorted the inmates time spent behind bars. A lot of these degrees have nothing to do with future behavior, it 's just a way for the inmate to get out early. Inmates will pile up class after class, which when many are completed can take years off a long sentence. Inmates have been

Before getting into studying the field of criminal justice I learned that my previous knowledge about prisons and prisoners was either completely wrong or very incomplete. My first original belief was that the worst kind of people were in jail. That if you walked into a jail every person that you would see there are the worst of the worst. Another original belief was that if someone was in prison then they did something that put them there. These original beliefs came from the typical sources you get growing up, your parents, school teachers, and peers. Growing up I was taught that prison was where the terrible people went and it’s a scary place that you don’t want to be. But the moment that impacted me the most about prisoners was my senior

this risk. A common belief is that a criminal background means a person can’t be trusted

This obvious job discrimination shows that there are significant negative effects on blacks even after their prison sentence has been served. With less opportunity than whites to enter back into the workforce after incarceration, blacks end up having a higher rate of return to prison (USDOJ, 2008).

The first problem that can be solved with giving felons their rights back is giving them a way back out of trouble ,and away to be a modeled citizen. For example, in this article Vikki Hankins a convicted felonies tells of her quest to get her rights back. She has tried multiple times with no positive outcome. Her dream is to become a lawyer but because of her record she can’t take the bar exam (Penaloza 1). This here leads to some individuals going back to life they know better such as crime. Since they can no longer progress at a scholarly level into a professional level people tend to settle for less or even reform to crime(Penaloza 1).

Many offenders will be released from prison and yet approximately 60% will return for violating the law (Beard, Johnson, & Kemp, 2003). An inmate that has an education equivalent to a

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,

"Local faith-based and community organizations (FBCO) reentry programs can provide ex-prisoners with the compassion and services they need to thrive in the communities they are returning to. Placing ex-prisoners in steady employment that matches their abilities and needs is an important effort that helps ensure the safety of America’s streets and the successful integration of ex-prisoners into America’s communities. Recidivism is a vicious cycle of crime, prison, more crime, re-imprisonment, and so on. Statistics show that more than two-thirds of released prisoners will be charged with new crimes within three years following their release, and over half will be reincarcerated. According to criminal justice experts, an attachment to the labor force through stable employment, in concert with family and community

Inmates need to be educated and rehabilitated in order to be released back into society. If prisoners receive a good education they are less likely to commit misconduct in the future. The Three State Recidivism Study

In the life of previously incarcerated African Americans includes the involvement with old forms of discrimination such as: “employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps, and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service---suddenly are legal” (Alexander, 24). It is obvious that race plays a pivotal role in mass incarceration. African American ex-prisoners have a lower chance or not even a chance at all to obtain a job in comparison of a citizen who has proper education and experience. The opportunity of equal education as a prisoner compared to someone outside of prison, is nearly impossible. Due to the lack of education fundings in the prison system, prisoners can not receive the proper knowledge needed when released. Thus, leading to problems obtaining a job. Along with the refusal from landlords to accept or rather consider the chance of renting out housing to those previously incarcerated. Within public benefits, those who are incarcerated can no longer receive most public benefits which included but not limited to: social security, federal financial aid, food stamps, and healthcare. “As a ‘criminal’ you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow” (Alexander, 24). Meaning a black man living in

In the labour market blacks continually face discrimination when looking for a job. Even when black Americans have a degree they often find it even harder to receive a job offer [2]. To find a high paying white collar job blacks often adjust their resumes to appear “white”. [3] The challenge of finding a job increases dramatically when jail time has been served. One study found that blacks are much less likely to find a job if they have been convicted of a felony. [4] The sentencing reform that Senator Grassley has introduced fails to address this issue. Without a job ex-felons are more likely to become repeat offenders. This is because

In today’s world, we treat criminals and offenders that are out of prison in a similar manner to how people were treated in the Jim Crow era. One example of the new Jim Crow Era is Sonya Jennings. Sonya is a felon as well as an African American mother. She was given an eight years probation after being arrested for possession of narcotics. Since Sonya is now tagged as a felon, she does not have the right to vote, she cannot receive public welfare, and she faces job discrimination (Alexander). The Jim Crow system has been planned in America today, legalizing discrimination for people with past criminal activity’s and records (Alexander).

Creating positive influences on our prisoners can reap many more benefits than just educating and releasing back into society. Just as we invest money to educate our children, we can reinvest money to target populations that our prisoners come from to prevent crimes. When we teach them new skills that can better their lives, they can then teach others by example. Once an inmate enters back into society and gets a job in his or her field, stays away from crime, and makes better choices, they can make a positive impact on their communities. Younger generations can see the encouraging example set forth and know that they too can make wiser decisions and hope for the

Researchers argue that criminal records affect people at different levels according to their race or ethnic group. According to Jacobs (2015), African Americans and Hispanics are disproportionately arrested and convicted. Jacobs (2015) also found that 78.1 percent of African Americans are convicted of a crime compared with 11.6-16.8 percent of whites. Hispanics also have a higher percentage of convicted crimes than the white population. (Kimani, 2016, p. 20). As a result of convictions, these groups of minority groups face more obstacles when they look for work. According to Heitzed (2013), when the effects of criminal record and race are combined the problem grows disproportionately. Another minority group affected by the criminal

Everyone deserves a second chance. You should never judge a book by its cover. These are some of the things that should be considered when an employer considers hiring an ex-offender reentering society after release from the prison system. Once a criminal, always a criminal is not always the case. Some ex-offenders have proven to be loyal and trustworthy employees. As well as tax-paying individual who open their own businesses. There are positives and negatives to hiring someone with a criminal background. There are many concerns by employers to hire an ex-offender, such as negligent hiring. An ex offender is a person who has been convicted of criminal offense. Over 600,000 people are being released from prisons