A group of scholars at the University of Arizona sought to find how felony convictions affect those looking to re-enter the workforce. Their study shows that the convictions aren’t the only hurdle for getting a job. The U.S. Department of Justice projects that 9 percent of all men will serve time in federal or state prison. With the median time served being just over two years, most formerly incarcerated people will eventually be back on the job market. Tamar Kugler is an associate professor in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. She said the ability to find a job is critical, not only for those who’ve been to prison, but also for society. "We want those people to be productive members of society, to be able to get a legit job, stay out of prison, earn enough money so they rehabilitate their lives." But she said convicted felons can have a hard time finding work once they are released. "Those people usually have lower education so it’s harder for them to find a job. And they have also experienced an erosion of skills from the fact that they have been out of the job market." She notes that people who have served time also have a lack of ties to legitimate employers. According to the Brookings Institution, in the first full calendar year following their release, almost half of those previously incarcerated have no reported earnings and the median earnings of those that do are just above $10,000 a year. Kugler, along with Barry Goldman at the University of Arizona and Dylan Cooper at California State University, Channel Islands, cited research that shows that blacks and other minorities are more frequently denied jobs because of racial discrimination, but they wanted to test whether blacks with felony convictions were penalized more than whites with identical felony convictions, work experiences, and skills during the hiring process. Dr. Kugler says: "We find that black applicants pay a much bigger price in terms of their desirability to get hired for a job than white applicants. The reduction that the white applicants suffer from having a felony conviction is not nearly as big as that that you see for black applicants." Findings like these aren’t purely academic. Clyde Hardin, a tattoo artist in Tucson, served two stints in prison. When he was released, he had help finding a job. "My, now, wife got me my first job. I did commercial cleaning in buildings, banks, overnight and that paid my fees, fines, restitution and then when I wasn’t doing that, I would just hustle my butt off with tattooing." But working overnights hindered Hardin’s ability to tattoo, a passion he developed in prison that he hoped to turn into a career. So, he began to look for a different job: "Probably in a four-month span over 100 applications. Legitimately. I’m talking Craigslist jobs, jobs listings, newspaper, door-to-door," he said. And when he would land an interview, things often went downhill quickly. "I would get to the interview process and as soon as I started explaining my record or why I was incarcerated, you would see the momentum swing of he’s a potential future hire to I would never hire this guy." Findings like these aren’t purely academic. Clyde Hardin, a tattoo artist in Tucson, served two stints in prison. When he was released, he had help finding a job. "My, now, wife got me my first job. I did commercial cleaning in buildings, banks, overnight and that paid my fees, fines, restitution and then when I wasn’t doing that, I would just hustle my butt off with tattooing." But working overnights hindered Hardin’s ability to tattoo, a passion he developed in prison that he hoped to turn into a career. So, he began to look for a different job: "Probably in a four-month span over 100 applications. Legitimately. I’m talking Craigslist jobs, jobs listings, newspaper, door-to-door," he said. And when he would land an interview, things often went downhill quickly.
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Ex-offenders and felons should always be honest when applying for jobs
Hello,
I have a police record. One charge is for domestic violence. It shows assault and battery. I was ordered to counseling, Which turned into grief counseling because of the reasons the fight happened. The other charge is a false charge that I am in the process of requesting expungement. There were no charges or a court hearing. I was having a drink with a friend. A known drug dealer was in the bar and asked to buy me a drink. I did not accept, we talked for about 5 minutes and he left. All of a sudden an undercover policeman shows me his badge and asked if we can talk outside. I go out with him and was questioned about the drug dealer. I said I didn't know him and had no information to offer. Before I knew it there were police cars, I was in handcuffs and put in jail for 3 days. 3 times a day I was taken from my cell and questioned. Every time I had no informational new charges kept getting added to my record.
After 3 days I was released and my record now shows dangerous drugs. Both of these happened 20 years ago. I have passed 3 tests to be a TSA screener my 4th test is Tuesday. When I pass this they will run a background check. At what point do I explain this to someone? I currently work at KMart and they ran a background check but hired me without asking questions. It was the same with Home Depot as well! Do you know if TSA is strict about 20 years ago? Do you know if they ask for an explanation of my background? I really need a job with a good paycheck and I've always wanted this particular job!
Thank you for helping me!
Sincerely,
Sally
Ex-offenders and felons should always be honest when applying for jobs
Hello Sally,
Generally speaking, when talking about records, employers are concerned with convictions and not charges. As I tell all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs, answer honestly on both applications and interviews. If applications asks for convictions, only lists convictions, not charges. As far as interviews, nearly all of the questions will be related to information from your application. I encourage ex-offenders and felons not to volunteer information that is not asked for.
Expungement, or sealing does not erase records but hides them from public view. If an is granted the conviction will always be visible to government agencies, the court system and law enforcement. You mentioned that you have applied for a TSA position. Since this is a government position, all of your charges will be visible. Once again, if questioned, always answer honestly.
Ex-offenders and felons should always be honest when applying for jobs
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One of the things that is Pure Michigan is sending people to prison. Although incarceration rates have fallen the past few years, there are three times as many people in Michigan prisons now than there were four decades ago. If Michigan were a country, it would have one of the top 20 incarceration rates in the world and would likely be on a State Department watch list.
More than six of every 100 Michiganders is in prison. About twice as many are former felons, those who have been released from prison, although many are still repaying a debt to society they no long owe.
It turns out that society needs them. Michigan needs them to get up in the morning and come to work. For many, though, that isn’t possible because one of the first things many employers ask, after name and address on a job application, is whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony.
One of those who would have to answer yes is the voice of those Pure Michigan commercials. Ten years before “Home Improvement” and 18 years before the debut of the state tourism campaign, Tim Allen was paroled from federal prison where he was serving three to seven years after being arrested with almost a pound and a half of cocaine.
Allen found work after his felony convictions.
Other former felons should be given the same chance. Many won’t. Some former felons are reluctant to apply for jobs, knowing they will have to check that box. Many employers won’t look past that blemish on a potential asset’s past history. Either way, applicants don’t get interviewed, employers don’t learn about important and relevant training and experience, well qualified people won’t get jobs and businesses will struggle to fill vital positions.
The felony question isn’t a valid predictor of future performance and should be illegal. In a handful of states and a few cities across the country, it is. A bill to ban it in Michigan never got a committee hearing.
But an executive order of Gov. Rick Snyder, Michigan last week just became one of about three dozen states that doesn’t ask the question of prospective state employees.
The city of Port Huron will no longer ask its applicants if they’ve been convicted of a felony. Beyond being a good business practice, it is part of City Manager James Freed’s campaign to give the city a reputation as a place welcoming to anyone who wants to work.
City Council can’t extend the ban to include other employers in the city, as Austin, Texas, and other cities have done.
That’s because, in March, Snyder signed Senate Bill 353, which prohibits local governments from enacting ordinances that restrict use of the felony question by private employers. Irony is not a crime.
Former felons deserve a second chance
Jobs for Felons: The Facts about Companies that Hire Ex offenders and Felons (2018)
Former felons deserve a second chance
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CEO Isabelle Day of Quality Ingredients of Burnsville was having difficulty filling jobs last year when she read a Star Tribune column about hiring former inmates.
Starting pay is $15 an hour and can reach $40,000 a year, and employees get annual bonuses, health care and a retirement plan.
Day and her plant manager work through Twin Cities Rise, the nonprofit trainer that puts ex-inmates and other low-income folks through a rigorous curriculum of personal empowerment, training and soft-skill development before placing them in internships, at temp agencies or in full-time jobs.
“These are great people who have made mistakes,” Day said. “In many cases, these people are stronger than somebody walking off the street to apply. The work is tough. We see a sincerity and great communication skills. They tend to be respectful, thoughtful and mature.”
As the job market gets tighter, employers are slowly turning to nonprofits such as Rise, Emerge, Building Better Futures, Summit Academy, Genesys Works, Goodwill Easter Seals and others that help former felons build skills and land decent jobs.
“We are safer when these guys have jobs and housing,” said CEO Dan Pfarr of 180 Degrees. “We are their step from prison to the civilian world.”
The Minneapolis nonprofit serves men on parole as they move from prison to community with short-term housing and counseling. It links them to training and organizations connected to employers. It has to happen quickly. Most parolees get only 60 to 90 days to get housing and find a job, with expenses covered by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
The transition from prison to work, and civilian society, is not easy, particularly if you have been locked up 10 or 15 years and never operated a cellphone or computer. It also takes the right mind-set and a willingness to beat the odds.
Close to 60 percent of Minnesota inmates are back in prison within two years.
Minnesota has a lower-than-average incarceration rate but one of the highest rates of people on probation, which can end up being a “back door” to prison re-entry.
More than half of those returning to prison are on parole violations, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Pfarr and Richard Coffey, 180 Degrees program director, said the violations often are for noncriminal acts, such as being late or taking a different route than prescribed to training or jobs.
“These guys, and we deal with about 300 a year, get a case manager and we work with them on a plan. Some of them have some training. I’m impressed with many of them. Life for them can be daunting,” Pfarr said.
Low jobless rate’s upside
The good news is that the low unemployment rate is prompting employers to warm to hiring former inmates.
Tony Bulmer, a former prisoner, has moved up over six months from a laborer position to a $20 supervisory position at Gregory Foods in Eagan. He’s also moving from a 180 Degrees residence to his own room in September.
“I’m taking this opportunity to the fullest,” said Bulmer, 31, also a trained diesel mechanic.
Bulmer grew up working in a family-owned bakery and likes machinery, which has helped in his new role.
“If I can see how it works, I can figure out how to do it,” he said.
A groundbreaking report last year by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) provides a road map into the “successes of corporate policies giving formerly incarcerated Americans a fair chance at re-entry.”
It’s been embraced by large employers including Google, Total Wine, the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, Koch Industries, Walmart and other companies.
Locally, Quality Ingredients, Target, Bremer Bank and numerous small businesses are on board.
And Rise and its national partner, Root & Rebound, which advocates for former inmates, have received great response from local employers for their “Minnesota Employers’ Fair Chance Hiring Guide.”
The guide takes employers through legal compliance and risk minimization, background checks, the rewards of hiring a second-chance worker, best practices for “onboarding” former inmates and strategies for helping them integrate into the workforce.
As the Minnesota prison system and number of prisoners and parolees generally ballooned over the last 30 years, in part because of mandatory sentences for drug and other nonviolent offenses, the state has spent disproportionately less on education, training and employment services.
Louis King, CEO of Summit Academy, which works with low-income people to earn high school-equivalency degrees, and train for entry-level posts in building trades, IT and health care, has said the best social-welfare program is gaining skills, and showing up for a living-wage job.CEO Isabelle Day of Quality Ingredients of Burnsville was having difficulty filling jobs last year when she read a Star Tribune column about hiring former inmates.
“Turnover was high and we were using [costly] temporary agencies for labor,” she recalled.
Today, six of the 60 factory workers on the floor of Quality Ingredients are ex-offenders.
Starting pay is $15 an hour and can reach $40,000 a year, and employees get annual bonuses, health care and a retirement plan.
Day and her plant manager work through Twin Cities Rise, the nonprofit trainer that puts ex-inmates and other low-income folks through a rigorous curriculum of personal empowerment, training and soft-skill development before placing them in internships, at temp agencies or in full-time jobs.
“These are great people who have made mistakes,” Day said. “In many cases, these people are stronger than somebody walking off the street to apply. The work is tough. We see a sincerity and great communication skills. They tend to be respectful, thoughtful and mature.”
As the job market gets tighter, employers are slowly turning to nonprofits such as Rise, Emerge, Building Better Futures, Summit Academy, Genesys Works, Goodwill Easter Seals and others that help former felons build skills and land decent jobs.
“We are safer when these guys have jobs and housing,” said CEO Dan Pfarr of 180 Degrees. “We are their step from prison to the civilian world.”
The Minneapolis nonprofit serves men on parole as they move from prison to community with short-term housing and counseling. It links them to training and organizations connected to employers. It has to happen quickly. Most parolees get only 60 to 90 days to get housing and find a job, with expenses covered by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
The transition from prison to work, and civilian society, is not easy, particularly if you have been locked up 10 or 15 years and never operated a cellphone or computer. It also takes the right mind-set and a willingness to beat the odds.
Close to 60 percent of Minnesota inmates are back in prison within two years.
Minnesota has a lower-than-average incarceration rate but one of the highest rates of people on probation, which can end up being a “back door” to prison re-entry.
More than half of those returning to prison are on parole violations, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Pfarr and Richard Coffey, 180 Degrees program director, said the violations often are for noncriminal acts, such as being late or taking a different route than prescribed to training or jobs.
“These guys, and we deal with about 300 a year, get a case manager and we work with them on a plan. Some of them have some training. I’m impressed with many of them. Life for them can be daunting,” Pfarr said.
Low jobless rate’s upside
The good news is that the low unemployment rate is prompting employers to warm to hiring former inmates.
Tony Bulmer, a former prisoner, has moved up over six months from a laborer position to a $20 supervisory position at Gregory Foods in Eagan. He’s also moving from a 180 Degrees residence to his own room in September.
“I’m taking this opportunity to the fullest,” said Bulmer, 31, also a trained diesel mechanic.
Bulmer grew up working in a family-owned bakery and likes machinery, which has helped in his new role.
“If I can see how it works, I can figure out how to do it,” he said.
A groundbreaking report last year by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) provides a road map into the “successes of corporate policies giving formerly incarcerated Americans a fair chance at re-entry.”
It’s been embraced by large employers including Google, Total Wine, the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, Koch Industries, Walmart and other companies.
Locally, Quality Ingredients, Target, Bremer Bank and numerous small businesses are on board.
And Rise and its national partner, Root & Rebound, which advocates for former inmates, have received great response from local employers for their “Minnesota Employers’ Fair Chance Hiring Guide.”
The guide takes employers through legal compliance and risk minimization, background checks, the rewards of hiring a second-chance worker, best practices for “onboarding” former inmates and strategies for helping them integrate into the workforce.
As the Minnesota prison system and number of prisoners and parolees generally ballooned over the last 30 years, in part because of mandatory sentences for drug and other nonviolent offenses, the state has spent disproportionately less on education, training and employment services.
Louis King, CEO of Summit Academy, which works with low-income people to earn high school-equivalency degrees, and train for entry-level posts in building trades, IT and health care, has said the best social-welfare program is gaining skills, and showing up for a living-wage job.
companies hire felons | | Companies that hire ex-offenders | Employers that hire ex-offenders | employers that hire felons | | jobs for ex-offenders | jobs that hire felons | places that hire felons | felon friendly jobs | felon friendly employers | how to get a job with criminal record | second chance jobs for felons | temp agencies that hire felons | high paying jobs for felons | felon friendly
I have been doing some research recently on trying to find a professional career with a criminal background. Apparently I have done everything backwards. I graduated from the University of Tennessee with honors, but soon after I got into some trouble. Long story short, I've done my time but I can't seem to find a job. I've tried everything, but this thing is beating me down. There is just no forgiveness and all the time I spent earning my degree is wasted just because of one mistake.
Thank you,
Frustrated
Jobs are scarce for a felon with degree
You may be surprised how often I hear stories like yours. Unfortunately sometimes good people go through some incredibly terrible things (remember that.) Don't give up on yourself or your education. I suggest to ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs is to apply with well written cover letters introducing you and your resume. Often when apply for jobs this way, the "Have you been convicted..." question never comes up. If it does, it will be in an interview where you may offer some brief details of what led to your brushes with the law but focus on how you have overcome your past problems and what you have to offer.
As far as finding employment, make use of your local One-stop Career Center. You will find a lot of helpful services including job leads. You can find the center closest to you at http://www.servicelocator.org
I also suggest to those with college degrees to look to local community colleges. Often there are adjunct instructor positions available teaching basic subjects like English or basic math.
I hope this helps.
Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: Where can Ex-offenders Find Jobs
Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: Ten Steps to Getting a Job with a Criminal Record
Jobs for Felons: The Facts about Companies that Hire Ex offenders and Felons
Jobs are scarce for a felon with degree
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