Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Criminal history questions on job applications could soon become illegal
Criminal history questions on job applications could soon become illegal
Posted: Sep 18, 2017 3:50 PM EDTUpdated: Sep 18, 2017 10:19 PM EDT
The bill was introduced in February, the state Assembly approved AB1008 on Friday, and it now awaits the governor's signature.
Supporters say ex-felons would be able to get more jobs and potentially stay out of trouble. Lawmakers say employers would still be able to ask about criminal history but not until the applicant has received a conditional job offer.
Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCarty is one of the politicians behind the bill. If passed, it would help more ex-felons get a second chance.
"For the applicant, especially someone who has a criminal history, it gives them a chance to highlight their qualifications of the job before they have to explain some criminal history that might disqualify them from the job," Kathy Eppright, an attorney in San Luis Obispo, said.
Mychal Cody, manager of Pizza La Nova in San Lis Obispo, says it's important to know who they have on staff when it comes to someone's background.
"They're not only taking the charge of representing our business, and so to be able to clearly identify who that person is going to be could really have an effect on our business," Cody said.
However, Cody says Pizza La Nova won't judge anyone who applies.
"If they're hard-working and they're trying to make a change in their life and we can be that step forward for them, we want to be that," Cody said.
For some employers, if this bill becomes a law, it could become difficult to scrutinize potential employees without knowing their criminal history, according to Eppright.
"So once they make the offer, then they can say, 'We're going to make it conditional on a background check,'" Eppright said. "Then they have to connect it. If there is something in the background, they have to show how the offense relates to the job the person's applying for."
Employers who deny applicants because of their criminal history must have a good reason.
"Let's say somebody has a DUI in their background and they apply to work at a Starbucks. It would be hard to connect the dots between the connection and why it would disqualify them from being a barista for Starbucks," Eppright said.
The bill would make the following employment practices unlawful under FEHA for an employer with five or more employees:
- Including questions about criminal history on employment applications
- Inquiring or considering the applicant's criminal history before offering a conditional job offer
- Disseminating or distributing an applicant's conviction history background check
If the employer plans on denying an applicant based on their conviction history, the bill would require the employer to do an individualized review of whether or not their history would have a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job.
They would have to consider three stipulations: the nature of the offense, the time that has passed between the offense and sentence completion, and the nature of the job.
The employer would have to notify the person applying with a written decision, and the applicant is allowed five business days to respond, and an additional five days to dispute the decision with evidence.
There are some companies that require background checks by law, so they would be exempt from this bill if it becomes a law, according to Eppright.
Nine states and 15 cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, have adopted similar regulations.
Read the full bill's text here.
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Eric Mayo
Thursday, August 25, 2022
A bill that would seal certain criminal records could open doors for millions of Californians
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State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), shown in 2019, who wrote Senate Bill 731, said sealing criminal records would remove burdens on previously incarcerated individuals who face discrimination once they reenter society, including when applying for jobs and places to live. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) |
ANABEL SOSA, Originally published by The Los Angeles Times
SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation that would allow some Californians with criminal convictions to have those records sealed if they maintain a clean record, a move cheered by criminal justice reform advocates and harshly criticized by law enforcement.
Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, a Los Angeles Democrat who wrote Senate Bill 731, said sealing the records would remove burdens on previously incarcerated individuals who face discrimination once they reenter society, including when applying for jobs and places to live. Because California law keeps criminal records public, even long after a person’s sentence ends, those convictions often surface during background checks.
“About 75% of formerly incarcerated individuals are still unemployed after a year of their release,” Durazo said. “So something’s wrong there. We expect them to get back on their feet, but we’re not allowing them the resources to get jobs and [have] careers.”
The Senate approved the bill in a 28-10 final vote, and it will head next to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration. The Assembly passed the legislation in June.
If signed into law, criminal records will still be provided to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, private schools and state special schools that conduct background checks for job applicants. People who have their records sealed also would be required to disclose their criminal history if asked when applying for a job in law enforcement or public office. Registered sex offenders were excluded from the legislation, and those convicted of serious and violent crimes would have to petition a court to have their records sealed.
The bill would permanently and electronically seal most felony convictions after a person fully completes their sentence, including any time on probation, and would require a certain number of subsequent years without any arrests. The bill would also apply to people who were charged with a felony and served time in state prison and who have a record of an arrest that never resulted in a conviction.
Law enforcement, courts and the state Department of Justice would still have access to the records.
But law enforcement groups raised public safety concerns with concealing certain criminal records from public view.
The Peace Officers Research Assn. of California, the state’s largest law enforcement labor organization, feared expanding the relief of penalties for felons would place communities at risk, a concerned shared by other law enforcement advocates.
“A government that has more open records is more accessible to the public,” Frank Huntington, the President of California Assn. of Licensed Investigators told The Times.
Huntington agreed that individuals with criminal backgrounds face discrimination, and said the association was open to limiting the reporting requirements to a shorter time period.
“To completely seal records ... we have a huge issue with that,” Huntington said, adding that private investigators would lose access to court records that are a cornerstone of their work, which involves extensive background checks.
Under current law, people arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor or who served time in a county jail for a felony may be eligible to have their records sealed, with similar exceptions. The proposed legislation would expand that possibility to people with additional felony convictions, including those who served state prison sentences.
Advocates of the bill argue that the lack of access to employment and housing is what drives recidivism rates and restricts California’s economic development.
Jay Jordan, the chief executive of Alliance for Safety and Justice, a criminal justice advocacy nonprofit and co-sponsor of the bill, said that people are relegated to “post-conviction poverty” by being forced to live in marginalized neighborhoods. “Folks wonder why these people are getting killed? It’s because they live in unsafe neighborhoods.”
Jordan said he and his wife have struggled to adopt a child because of his old criminal record.
Jessica Sanchez, who was previously incarcerated for a short period of time but asked to not disclose why for the sake of preserving her privacy in case the bill passes, said because of her record and limitations to housing, she was forced to move back to the neighborhood she grew up in.
“I want to live in better communities, but I can’t,” Sanchez said about her neighborhood in Central Los Angeles. For a short period of time, she had to move to a shelter with her daughters because of break-ins at one of the first apartments. “I can’t take my kids out to walk in the park.”
Sanchez said it took her nine months to find an apartment that wouldn’t ask her about her prior conviction.
“I just want a safe place to come home to,” she said. “They see that I’m a single parent, have visible tattoos, and then they see I check the box, and they say, ‘nope, never mind.’ You don’t even get a call back. As someone who is trying to leave it all behind, I’m stuck in the same place where chaos happened. How does that work?”
Because of her criminal history, Sanchez, a mother of two, said she is starting to look for new apartments before her lease is up in January. She said she knows the application process is going to take a long time and she has to get ahead now. Today, she works an administrative job at Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps victims of gang violence and other formerly incarcerated individuals reenter society.
Sanchez has hopes to enroll in law school, but she fears that when she checks the box indicating she has a criminal record, she won’t qualify for certain scholarships.
“What if I want to live my life in a different way and I want nobody to know I’ve ever even been to jail?” she said. “Why can’t that be a possibility for me?”
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Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Felon Chef needs a job
Felon Chef needs a job
Felon Chef needs a job
Hello Lamar,
Vocational schools usually have a placement department that find jobs for their graduates. I suggest you contact that department and put them to work. Next, you should go to your nearest One-stop Career Center. Each state has a network of centers that offer a variety of free services that can assist you in finding employment. In addition, these centers offer a wide array of services that can help a felon get jobs. Some services available are:
Counselors for One-on-one AssistanceWorkshops (Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills, and related topics.)
Computers with internet access and word processing
Lists of thousands of job listings
Printers, fax machines, phones, and copiers for job search use
There are counselors there whose function is helping citizens gain employment. Many of them have experience that could help ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs.
You can find the nearest location of the One Stop Career Center in your local phone book or on the web at:
https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/service-locator.aspx
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
Felon Chef needs a job
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Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Jobs for Felons: How Ex-offenders and Felons can get Jobs
Jobs for Felons: Ex-offenders and Felons can get Jobs
- Find Companies that Hire Felons
- Dress Like a Professional
- Get a Personal Contact Card
- Always be Honest
- Use Resumes and Cover Letters
- Build a Good Network
- Build a List of Good References
- Always be on Time
- Practice and Prepare
- Get Ready to Work Hard
Find Companies That Hire Felons
More and more employers are hiring felons. With the unemployment rate at its lowest in a long time, employers are having a hard time finding qualified applicants to fill open positions. Only a short time ago, ex-offenders and felons were shut out of jobs. Now there are many companies that can say that they offer employment opportunities to people with criminal records,
Finding companies that hire felons is half of the battle. Take a look at this long list of employers that may hire felons. Click Here
Dress like a professional!
There is no substitute for a powerful first impression. If ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs want to be treated like professionals, they ought to look like professionals. A fact of life is that most of us will be judged at least partially, by the way we look. Meeting someone for the first time, you should look as professional as possible. A nice suit, a light colored shirt, a tie and nicely shined pair of shoes wold do the trick. At the very least, you should have a light colored shirt, dark slacks, a tie and once again shined shoes. You may not own clothes like these, but you should do your best to get them. You should look like someone who is serious about getting hired. You will never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Get a personal contact card
Always be honest
If you are asked about criminal records on interviews, you should briefly speak about it but focus on what you have learned and why having a job and working hard is important.
Use resumes and cover letters to get jobs
Ex-offenders and felons will have more success getting
hired if they can get their resumes into the hands of people who
can hire them. Sending a resume with a cover letter will
give them a huge advantage. A well written cover letter will introduce you
and help you ask for an interview in a professional way.
Often when ex-offenders and felons inquire about jobs this way,
the question of criminal records never comes up. If you
don't know much about writing a cover letter, find someone who
does and get it done properly.Build a good network
Contact as many people as you can think of and ask if they know of anyone who is hiring. Ask for the person who is in charge of hiring and try to get an application or try to arrange for an interview. The more applications you can get to people in charge, the greater your chances to get a job.
Build a list of good references
A lot of
applications ask for personal or professional references. A
reference is someone who would say something positive about you
or your work performance. Past teachers, previous employers,
ministers, and other prominent members of your community would
all be great references. Please ask people if they would be a reference
for you before you list them. If they agree, get their addresses, phone numbers, email addresses or other contact information.Always be on time!
You should always plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before
all interviews and other
appointments. Arriving early will allow you to relax and make any
final preparations. You must know exactly how long it would
take to get to the interview location. If you don't know,
make a dry run to the location a day or so before to gauge your
travel time. There is absolutely no excuse for ever being
late.
Practice and prepare!
Getting a job with a criminal record will depend on how well you prepare. Practice everything on your job search from filling out applications, shaking hands, body language and interviewing.
Like
anything else, interviewing well will take practice. The more you
practice, the better you will get. Practice your body
language in front of a mirror. Predict the interviewer’s
questions and practice answering them until they sound natural.
Don't memorize your answers but practice making them complete
thoughts in your own words.Get friends and family members to take turns being the interviewer. Practice the whole interview from beginning to end. If possible, make video recordings of your practice interviews so you can see and hear your responses to questions and your use of grammar and body language. The more practice you get, the better you will get at everything.
Get ready to work hard!
Ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs must realize that they are playing a game of numbers.
More job leads mean more interviews. More interviews mean more
opportunities to get hired. It's that simple. Getting
enough quality jobs leads will result in a job .
Finding a job with a criminal record will require a huge commitment in time and effort. Put your time in making phone calls, filling out applications and digging for leads. Effort in practicing, and preparation will have to go with putting the time in. Every minute you take off leaves an opening for someone else to get a job instead of you.
There are ex-offenders and felons getting jobs everyday. Work hard and prepare well and you could be one of them!
You can be bonded free of charge!
The federal government offers felons free bonding. When you get an interview you can tell the employer that you can get bonded at no charge to you or the employer. If the employer has concerns about you being an honest employer, you can say "I can be bonded." A bond insures the employer from loss of money, merchandise or services due to employee dishonesty. This may be the difference between getting a job or not getting a job. You should speak to your state's department of labor representative at your local one stop career center.You can find out more about the Federal Bonding Program and how it helps ex-offenders and felons get jobs here:
Federal Bonding Program
Ex-offenders and Felons can get 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 (2020)
Jobs for Felons: Five Places Felons Can Find Jobs - Get a Job Quickly!
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Ex-offenders and Felons can get Jobs
Monday, May 16, 2022
10 Tips on How to Get a Job With a Felony
Originally published on Money Inc. by Dana Hanson
A felony is a serious offense that can stay on your record for life, and if you have a felony, it can be challenging to find a job. Many employers will not hire people with a felony. However, don’t despair; there are things you can do to get a job even if you have a felony on your record.
10. Be Realistic
If you have a felony, you need to be realistic about the types of jobs you can get. You will likely not be able to get a job in specific industries, such as healthcare or education. But there are still many other kinds of jobs that you may be able to get, such as customer service, retail, or food service. Don’t waste your time applying for jobs that you know you won’t get when looking for a job. It’s better to focus your efforts on assignments for which you are more qualified.
9. Ask for Help
One of the most important things you can do is ask for help. You might be surprised by how many people are willing to help you out if they know that you require a job. Many community groups, organizations, and businesses have programs for helping felons get back on their feet. The more people you contact, the better your chances are of finding a job. Some of the programs that you might want to look into include the following:
The Federal Bonding Program: This program offers bonding insurance to employers willing to give someone a second chance. It covers theft or other forms of dishonesty and provides the employer with insurance if things do not work out.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit: This program offers a tax incentive to employers willing to hire someone with a felony. It might not cover all costs, but it can help employers reduce their costs.
The Veterans Employment and Training Service: This service offers assistance to veterans, including those who have a felony on their record. It can help with federal career opportunities and other employment programs for veterans.
The Reentry One-Stop Career Center: These centers help ex-offenders find jobs. They provide job search assistance, job readiness training, and job placement services.
8. Look Out for Scams
There are a lot of job scams out there that target people with criminal records. Be very careful when looking for a job, and make sure you research any company or individual you’re thinking of working with. There are a few things to look out for:
Promises of easy money: Be wary of anyone who promises you a high-paying job with little or no experience.
Upfront fees: Be careful of anyone who asks you to pay a fee upfront, especially if they guarantee you a job.
Out-of-state offers: Be cautious of anyone who gives you a job that requires you to move out of state.
Unrealistic claims: Be wary of anyone who promises you a job without interviews or applications.
If you’re careful and do your research, you can avoid many scams that target people with criminal records.
7. Learn a New Skill
If your felony prevents you from getting the job you want, it may be time to learn a new skill. This can help you get a job in a different field or open up new opportunities. There are many ways to learn new skills, including online courses, community colleges, and vocational schools. To learn a new skill, start by considering your interests and strengths. Are you good at working with your hands? Do you enjoy working with computers? Once you have an idea of what you’d like to do, research training programs that can help you get started.
6. Work with Your Hands
Appearance is a massive factor for employers, especially those looking to hire people with records. If you can’t afford to buy clothing that will make you look presentable, consider doing some manual labor. Please work with your hands to show that you’re not afraid of getting them dirty and willing to put in the effort. Many employers will respect this and see it as a good sign that you’re ready to work hard.
5. Secure References
You can not get a job with a felony conviction unless you have at least one reference. Yes, even if you work on the family farm with your dad, you still need references as they will ask for them if you are applying for a job. References can be anyone credible. You will often want to pick successful people, such as managers and supervisors from previous jobs. But other options include teachers or coaches from your past or community leaders. If you do not have a solid list, start by asking former employers for references. They may not have a reasonable opinion of you, but that may be your only option.
4. Join the Army
One option that many people with a felony conviction may not consider is joining the Army. Although this method involves an intense and lengthy application process, it is an excellent way to get your life back. The Army will provide you with a steady income, benefits, and structure to help you find your way after prison. Additionally, you may be able to use the Army as a stepping stone to finding other opportunities after you have served your time. To get started, speak to a recruiter in your area. They can help you understand the process and whether or not you are eligible to join.
3. Expunge Your Felony
Expunging your felony is one of the best things you can do to increase your chances of getting hired. If your felony is deleted, it will not appear on your criminal record. This is important because many employers will not hire you if they see that you have a felony on your record. Plus, you will have a better chance of getting the job you want if it does not appear on your record. Below are steps to follow to expunge your record:
Step 1: Get a copy of your criminal record. You can do this by finding the courthouse with jurisdiction over where you were convicted.
Step 2: Complete the petition.
Step 3: File the petition and pay a filing fee.
Step 4: Go to court on your day in court.
2. Start Your Own Business
A business is a great way to keep your mind occupied, show off your skills, and make money. When done right, owning your own business can provide you with enough income to support yourself and your family. It can also help you avoid situations where you’re likely to get into trouble, such as living in a bad neighborhood. The best place to start is by looking online for business ideas. Many websites offer advice on starting your own business. You can also find books at the library or bookstore to provide you with valuable information. When deciding on a business idea, it’s important to consider your skills and interests. You should also think about the amount of time and money you’re willing to invest. Once you’ve settled on an idea, it’s important to create a business plan that outlines your ideas and strategies. Finally, you will need to get the necessary licenses and permits to set up your business. This will involve working with local authorities and ensuring that you comply with all regulations. With the right planning, hard work, and determination, you can start your own successful business.
1. Get a GED
Having a high school diploma or GED is a must if you want to get hired for most jobs. Education, including vocational training and college, can open up opportunities that might not be available to you otherwise. Additionally, many employers prefer to hire people with a GED over those without one, so having one can increase your chances of getting hired. If you do not have a GED, start by creating a study schedule that you can stick to and sign up for classes. Many resources are available to help you get a GED, so take advantage of them and see what steps you need to take to get yours.
Conclusion
Being convicted of a felony does not mean that you will never find a job again. With the right approach, you can get hired and start climbing your way back up the career ladder. To improve your chances of getting a job with a felony, focus on securing references, building relationships with potential employers, and working hard on your job search. With patience and persistence, you can get hired and rebuild your life after getting out of prison.
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