Hiring Ex-Offenders

There are many barriers to reentry. The convicted felon is denied the right to vote, they are not granted access to student loans, welfare benefits, public housing, or food stamps (Gideon & Sung, 2011, p. 8). In addition, these released offenders regularly return to communities that are experiencing social decay, are plagued by poverty, and few employment opportunities (Gideon & Sung, 2011, p. 8). They are also denied entry into a number of employment fields due to their status as a felon. Denying them assistance and a social safety net often hinders their reentry abilities and their transformation to a law-abiding citizen (Gideon & Sung, 2011, p. 8). As mentioned prior, the added burden of intensive supervision can also be problematic to successful reentry.

This spurs questions in regards the effectiveness of the process in reacclimating and preparing criminals to become functioning members of society after their sentence, as well as the intense limitations that having a felony on record has on their success in the regular business world, as the competitive marketplace considers reforming felons generally undesirable for the workplace, pushing reforming criminals towards the world of illegal activities they know

One of the main barriers that inmates face when they are released from prison is limited cognitive skills, limited education and work experience, and substance abuse or other mental health problems. Substance abuse and other mental health problems limit employability because it limits the job readiness that is required for employment (Holzer, Raphael & Stoll, 2003). Another issue that is faced when inmates are released into society is that any skills that they did have prior to conviction has diminished greatly and they face lower pay due to their diminished or lack of skills, and the attitudes that have been developed during their time in prison deeply affects their attitude during their search for employment. Offenders also face another barrier when searching for employment. Many businesses can be held legally liable for any criminal action that their employees may cause (Holzer, Raphael & Stoll, 2003). These barriers that offenders face upon release is why solid solutions and planning must be implemented when considering the integration of ex-felons into society and preparation for reentry must begin well before the scheduled release date in order to successfully reintegrate an inmate into society and reduce the rate of recidivism.

Why do I believe you should hire a felon? It’s been said that when somebody has something to prove, they will move mountains for you. How much does an individual coming out of a situation such as prison have to prove? Plenty. Not only to you as an employer, not only to society in general, but also to his family and everyone else who doesn’t believe that someone who has been imprisoned can make anything of themselves in life. President Kennedy stated in an article titled, Address to the American Newspaper Publishers, "An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. We intend to accept full responsibility for our errors; and we expect you to point them out when we miss them”

What are some ways that we welcome back ex cons into society if we do at all? What help determined our attitude towards these incrassated victims whether they are guilty or not? These are questions and situations that sociologist take time to research in society. This is mainly done because it affects society in some sort of way and it’s their job to find out why things happen and how can we help better the problems. Most offenders are from a lower income society or belong to an oppress group. The victims of coarse are the people who the harm is being done to, which by law there are consequences for their action. The problem, that leave one thinking is the kind of crimes people committed, or some may not commit any at all, probably just at the wrong place at the wrong time and they still happen to receive harsh penalty, being stigmatize as a criminal on record causing them to struggle in society.

To fully appreciate the effects that employment schemes have on the rehabilitation of ex-offenders, we must examine the different methodologies that have been utilised to investigate this branch of

Incarceration can sabotage a worker’s success in the working force by making them less productive, lack work experience, and impaired social interactions. Employers are less likely to hire an applicant with a criminal record because of the preconceived notion that by serving time in prison it makes inmates less productive. Also, time incarcerated and away from the labor force prevents inmates from earning work experience and job skills. According to Amanda Geller in The Effects of Incarceration on Employment and Wages “behavioral adaptations to the conditions of penal confinement may leave an inmate withdrawn, uncommunicative, and unable to accept

They re-enter society at a disadvantage because some have spent nearly two decades behind bars and the world looks foreign to them because so many things have changed. They return back to the same poverty-stricken communities with the willingness to change but aren't given the chance to because employers aren't lined up at the door to hire ex-convicts; and because of that, they may result to doing the same criminal activities they participated in to get them locked up in the first place. Government officials should look at reforming drug laws, especially for non-violent offenders, and create safe space in those communities so that offenders won't

Employment is always an issue when it comes to an ex-offender. Not only is it hard for the everyday person in society to find employment due to a poor economy, but it is much harder for an ex-offender. While in prison, prisoners are usually made to work. Unlike other programs such as counseling, prison work programs can be justified for reasons other than rehabilitation of the individual offender. From the perspective of the policy maker in the criminal justice system, they can help manage the population by occupying the time of the prisoners, aid in the operation of the prison, create revenue (maybe), and provide a

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

A history of incarceration reduces an ex-felon’s chance of being hired by fifteen to thirty percent as well as the annual number of weeks worked by six to eleven weeks. That is a large amount of people! This is a big problem that is not to be dismissed. Having been incarcerated leads to struggles in finding a job. Some employers do not even consider hiring people with any kind of criminal record, they are much more likely to hire someone without one instead (Prison Legal News). These statistics and studies show that unemployment rates are in fact higher for

But the people that do not have that opportunity are offered little help in finding somewhere to live. Employment is also an issue faced. Many places do not want to hire someone that has been in prison before. Also, the level of education that the person has is a contributing factor to employers saying no to ex-prisoners. Often times background checks are initiated with the application process of a job and when someone tells them that they have been convicted of a crime the employer is a little more hesitant on hiring this person. But on the other end, only about 62 percent of potential employers would not consider hiring ex-inamtes, only 32 percent reported using background checks on a consistent basis. 38 percent of the potential employers would consider hiring ex-inmates (Police Operations).

Between 1980 and 2014 the number of incarcerated people in the United States quadrupled from 500,000 to approximately 2.3 million. At any given time, the United state incarcerates one percent of its population while another two percent are under extended supervision (Wakefield and Uggen 2010). In addition, the United States has faced a dramatic increase in its homeless and housing insecure population since the 1980s (Herbert, Morenoff, and Harding 2015). Reasons include a decline in affordable housing, foreclosure, poverty, eroding work opportunities, and also laws restricting certain populations from housing. This paper will address past and current challenges related to reentry, recidivism, and housing by analyzing relevant empirical research.

A released offender’s path to reintegration, away from crime and repeated trips to prison is based heavily on their ability to enter the work force. The better the pay and the quicker they find a job, the less likely they are to fall prey to recidivism. The chances that a released offender will become a recidivist has been shown to vary inversely with the initial length of time it

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