Skilled felon is looking for jobs

My son is 29 yrs old and has two theft felonies in his background. But thanks to a good woman and two wonderful sons age 7 and 4 he has turned his life around. For 2 1/2 yrs he has gone to the methadone clinic, no longer hangs with any of the drug friends, went to Kaplan college and got his electrical technician certificate, has 6 years experience   framing/roofing/plumbing/remodeling/tree trimming but just can't find work that lasts for more than a few days at a time. All he wants is a chance to earn enough money to feed his children and pay his electric bill. We have put out applications everywhere but the minute he is truthful and tells the employer of his criminal record (which is has a written copy he can show them) they just treat him like he is dirt.

Where can we turn? He is a hard worker.

Nancy

 Skilled felon is looking for jobs

Hello Nancy,

Your son is ahead of most ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs. Even though things might seem tough, people with criminal record might have to thing outside-the-box when it comes to looking for work. He has skills in electrical work and carpentry. He could start a home handyman business the he can can use to build a good income. If he is willing to put in a little work, he could turn odd jobs into a full time home handyman business. You'd be amazed how many people can't put in a light switch or fix a leaky faucet. You could offer to do small jobs at a fraction of what big time contractors charge while guaranteeing quality work.

Starting his own business will be a lot of work. He would have to be prepared to work long hours finding customers and promoting his business. The least costly way to start is to print up flyers with tear off tags, and post them on community bulletin boards. Post them in grocery stores, laundry rooms, community recreation centers, bus stops, and churches. Highlight the quality of his service and his dependability. He should always include phone number tear off tags on the flyer, so interested people can just take one phone number.

Another interesting option is to make a list of local contractors and offer to himself out as a day laborer. There are probably quite a few contractors in your area looking for day laborers as a way to keep their own costs down. He could get a list of contractors that have recently been issued building permits at your local municipal building. This is public record so he should have no trouble getting that information.

Still another option is to find landlord with multiple rental properties. Landlords need dependable people to keep the properties up and do repairs that tenants need done.  If he finds one with enough rentals, it could be a full time job that would pay well.  One great way to find a long list of property owners is contacting your local office of Housing and Urban Development.  HUD pays subsidies to landlords on behalf of tenants.  In order to get payments, the properties must meet HUD standards and are inspected frequently. 

If his dream is finding regular employment, he shouldn't give up and he could earn a living in the meantime.

I hope this helps.

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Skilled felon is looking for jobs

Eric Mayo

Wife of felon wants to help him get a job

Hello,

My husband has been released from prison after ten years about 3 months ago. Since than time we're finding it very hard for him to find employment. I mean extremely hard and he has become very depressed. He has gone to target, walmart, meijers, home depot, best buy, Kroger's, McDonald's, kfc, you name it we have filled out applications. He has called them on several occasions to check back about employment. He has two violent felonies and has had many doors slammed in his face. He just feels like giving up. I don't want him to do anything drastic at this point. I really don't know how much more to help him. Is there any advice you can offer us? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Concerned Wife

Wife of felon wants to help him get a job

I'm sorry your husband is having so much trouble. Having two violent felonies makes getting a job difficult. It's time for some out-of-the-box thinking.

My suggestion is for him to contact his parole or probation officer. Often they know of employers who hire felons. They also have felons on their caseloads who have gotten jobs. perhaps the officer can point him in the direction of these employers.

Another strategy that often works is to have your husband contact the judge who sentenced him. Judges are influential people with many contacts. He can express to the judge how important getting a job is and his desire to stay on the right side of the law. He should ask the judge for any assistance he can offer. You will be surprised at how effective this will be.

I hope this helps.

 Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: Where can felons get Jobs

 Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: Ten Steps to getting a Job with a Criminal Record

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Wife of felon wants to help him get a job

Ex-offenders, Felons, Jobs and Drug Tests

Ex-offenders, Felons, Jobs and Drug Tests

I have been helping Ex-offenders and Felons get jobs for many years and I have helped thousands get jobs. One of the biggest barriers that some ex-offenders place in front of themselves is not being able to pass drug tests.


Drug testing has become an important safety issue for many employers. Many companies now have some form of drug testing for prospective employees. Drug testing serves to lower the instance and issues associated with drug abuse in the workplace, including lateness, absenteeism, turnover rate, crime, violence, theft and other side effects.  Too many of my students believe  that they can use illegal drugs and still pass drug tests. With my experience in human resources, management and employment training, I will attempt to expose the myths and give the facts on drug tests.

The typical methods that employers use for detecting illegal drugs are:

Urine Testing:

Urine testing is the most common of the screenings used for illegal substances. Drug users would sometimes use outlandish methods like using fake urine that is sold in some places or using a sample taken from someone else in place of their own. To avoid the applicant using urine not his own, I would always have a sample given in the presence of a staff member. Others believe that drinking large amounts of water will dilute the sample and the drugs will not be detected. Water passes through the body much too quickly to be effective. I have even heard of using ridiculous home remedies to beat urine tests. These remedies include aspirin, eye drops, ammonia, vinegar, bleach and even commercial drain cleaners! There are commercial products that claim to mask the traces of drugs making them undetectable.  many of these products use nitrates which will mask the drug to an extent, but laboratories have gotten more savvy and also test for the nitrate compounds that these products contain. In many cases the presence of nitrates will result in a failed test.


A single use of marijuana can be detected up to seven days in the urine, while extended use can be detected up to 100 days

Amphetimines, cocaine, heroin, opiates and PCP can be detected accurately up to seven days after use.

Ex-offenders, Felons, Jobs and Drug Tests

Saliva Testing

Saliva tests are the least popular because it can only detect toxins used three or four days prior. Saliva tests can detect fresh elements of alcohol and drugs in the mouth.

Hair follicle Testing

My experience is that hair follicle testing is the most effective method of narcotics screening.  A hair test is an examination that uses a small sample of hair to identify specific drugs used by the person being tested. Typically, the sample is taken from the head, but can be collected from several other body locations such as arms, legs and back and may be combined to obtain the required amount of hair.  Drugs can be detected with high accuracy for a six month period after use. Chemical compounds of drugs are circulated in the blood stream and become part of the cells of the body including the hair root where they are easily detected.

There are hundreds of detoxifying products on the market that claim that with their use, drugs will not be able to be detected. There products that claim that they can wash toxins out of the hair. Most of these are absolute scams. The rest have a very low success rate. An experienced screener would pull the hair out intact, exposing the root where the compounds collect.

A one time use of marijuana will likely not show up in the hair while extended use can be detected for three to five months after use depending on the test used.


Amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, opiates and PCP can be detected accurately up to five months after use.

Certain non-prescription medications can interfere with accurate results. These common medications include ibuprofen and ephedrine-based products. Most drug testing companies will ask the applicant in advance if they have taken any prescription or non-prescription medication prior to the screen.

In most cases if any drugs are detected, the applicant will have the opportunity to provide a doctor's prescription or choose to be retested.


Jobs for felons and "ex-offenders" are hard enough to get, so why blow an opportunity to get hired by using drugs?

The facts about employee drug testing for ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs

Jobs for Felons: Hair Test, Saliva Test, Urine Test, Substance 

Jobs for Felons: How Drug Test Cheats get Caught

 

 

Ex-offenders, Felons, Jobs and Drug Tests

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Formerly-Incarcerated People And The Employment Gap: Expanding Opportunities

Originally published at Forbes.com Jan 20, 2022 By Jackie Ferguson

Forbes Councils Member

Workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) often focuses too narrowly on issues of race and gender while neglecting other dimensions of diversity. My organization, The Diversity Movement, and other forward-thinkers in the industry are working to expand that definition by asking people to consider such dimensions as age, socioeconomic origin, religion, physicality and acquired or experiential diversity. Recently, I’ve been thinking about incarceration as one aspect of acquired diversity and wondering what it looks like to actively include formerly-incarcerated people in our hiring and employment processes.

As a society, we don’t always extend empathy to incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated people the way we do to other underserved groups. In fact, I’d say bias often leads us to believe their marginalization is somehow deserved or, at the very least, defensible. Yet if more people understood the reality of our criminal justice system — from wrongful convictions to the large number of people in prison because of small-time drug offenses — they might feel differently. They might even give formerly-incarcerated people a fresh chance at building a career and contributing positively to our workplaces and communities.

With almost 2.1 million people imprisoned as of July 2021, the U.S. houses about one fifth of the world’s prison population and the largest number of incarcerated people in any country. Nonviolent drug convictions account for a startling portion of the U.S. prison population. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, about 46% of all the people in federal prisons were convicted of a drug offense, while just 3.1% of the total population of imprisoned people were convicted of homicide, aggravated assault or kidnapping offenses. To restate, one in five incarcerated people in the United States are in jail for drug offenses, many related to marijuana possession, meaning those convicted wouldn’t be in prison if marijuana were legalized just a few years earlier, or legalized in all states.

Despite declining rates of imprisonment among Black Americans, the racial disparities that have long plagued our justice system persist today. Black people are still incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of white people in the U.S. — and that rate is higher in many individual states. Black Americans represent one third of incarcerated people nationwide, almost triple their share of the adult population (12%). And, although people of different races use and sell drugs at roughly the same rates, Black individuals are almost three times more likely to be arrested for drug-related offenses. 

Yet, even after these individuals — mothers, fathers, children, neighbors and former co-workers — have served their time, we’re quick to write them off as unworthy of another chance at employment. Conviction and incarceration carry a stigma long after someone’s sentence has been served and they’ve returned to civilian life. To that point, a report from the Prison Policy Initiative found that the unemployment rate of formerly-incarcerated people in 2008 was almost five times higher than that of the overall labor force at 27%. Also, according to several studies, serving time in prison reduces lifetime employment by as much as one third and hourly wages by 10% to 20%. Those who do manage to find employment are concentrated in low-wage jobs with little to no opportunity for advancement.

By giving formerly-incarcerated people a real shot at gainful employment, we unlock a pool of untapped talent with higher retention rates, lower turnover and more loyalty, in addition to the tax credits available for hiring formerly-incarcerated employees. 

Economic research has found that hiring formerly-incarcerated people is simply good business, given the high costs associated with turnover and recruitment. These employees are often highly loyal and determined, exemplified by the U.S. Army, where enlistees with criminal records are 33% more likely to be promoted to sergeant.

Many major corporations — such as Walmart, Starbucks, Home Depot and American Airlines, according to the ACLU report — have also enacted more inclusive hiring policies with regard to formerly-incarcerated individuals. By expanding the hiring pool to include people with criminal records, business leaders can improve their bottom line, provide necessary opportunities and make a positive impact on society as well, as the ACLU found employing more formerly-incarcerated people reduces recidivism and increases public safety.

These high-level benefits may sound great, but still, it’s common to have a knee-jerk reaction and wonder “Is it dangerous to bring someone with a criminal background into my office?” To counteract that bias, let’s talk about the stats regarding safety and employing formerly-incarcerated people. 

Far and away, employers who engage in this type of inclusive hiring describe it as a win-win. A 2009 report from Carnegie Mellon found that after five years of no new arrests, someone with a criminal record posed no greater risk of re-arrest than the general population. Additionally, a poll of U.S. employees showed that 74% of Americans feel comfortable interacting with coworkers who have a nonviolent criminal record.

To recruit more employees who have this particular dimension of acquired and experiential diversity:

• Get in touch with local community organizations. Across the country, there are hundreds of service providers who specialize in connecting formerly-incarcerated people with available jobs.

• Remove criminal record questions from your job application forms. Don’t ask about someone’s criminal background until the interview, and preferably not until you’ve made a conditional job offer. 

• Use inclusive language in your job postings. Avoid phrases like “convicted felon” and “ex-offender.” Instead, note that any applicants with criminal records will be evaluated on an individual basis and clearly note that cultivating experiential diversity in your team is part of your diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Formerly-incarcerated people represent one of the next frontiers in workplace inclusion initiatives. As business leaders and DEI practitioners, we must extend to them the same compassion, understanding and opportunities that we afford others. The path forward begins with opening our hearts, minds and hiring processes to people who have criminal records. We can all benefit from living in a society that forgives people for their past mistakes and gives them another opportunity to affect positive change in the world.

Jobs for Felons: The Facts about Companies that Hire Ex offenders and Felons 

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Jobs for Felons

Jobs for Felons: Resume tips that help felons get jobs

Felons and ex-offenders looking for jobs may need specialized help with resume details and getting back on track after prison. Getting a job as an ex-offender or felon may prove to be a challenge, but having a great resume will make this tough task a lot easier.

A resume can help you present your skills, experience and training in a nice neat package without highlighting your criminal background.  Having a well written resume can help you get an interview where you can sell yourself.



 
Helpful information for ex-offenders and felons who need resumes. A great resume is a powerful tool that ex-offenders and felons can use to get jobs.


This is great information about how to send resumes and cover letters to get jobs for ex-offenders and felons.  Felons can use resumes to apply for jobs. When felons apply for jobs using resumes with  well written cover letters, the applicant may ask for interviews where he can sell himself and his skills.  Frequently when an employer has the chance to meet a felon this way, the question of a criminal record often never comes up.


Over 600,000 felons are released every year and need jobs.  Many have little or no experience.  This video tells how to set up a useful resume that has little or no work experience.

 

How to write a resume with little or no experience

Ex-offenders and felons can avoid common resume mistakes

It is often very difficult for ex-offenders and felons to get interviews.  Avoiding common resume mistakes can help them get more interviews and more opportunities to get jobs

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 Jobs for Felons: Resume tips that help felons get jobs

  Eric Mayo