Ex-convicts do not live an easy lifestyle in prison, however, when they reenter society, they have even bigger struggles to face. In the outside world ex-convicts do not face the intimidation of other convicts, but rather disrespectful and pessimistic attitudes from employers. Ex-convicts are immediately judged and labeled based off of their rap sheet. What these employers seem to forget is that, these ex-convicts are people trying to make a living as well. Jeremy Travis, President of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, and Christy A. Visher, Director of The Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies (CDAS) at the University of Delaware, performed a study on prisoners and their needs to adapt back into society with more ease. In their article, Travis and Diaz 2
Visher touched upon the previously mentioned idea, “Individuals returning home from prison have been shaped by their offending and substance abuse histories, their work skills and job histories, their mental and physical health, their prison experiences, and their attitudes, beliefs, and personality traits.” (Travis, Visher pg 91) Travis and Visher are not specifically referring to employers, but that is where most discrimination on ex-convicts occurs simply from the section on the work application that asks if one has ever had any trouble with the law. Any person who has to check that box must feel discouraged in some way. One may argue that having an ex-convict in their work place will cause uneasy tensions between workers and slow down production as ex-convicts may not have the mindset or skills to efficiently hold down a job. However, ex-convicts may be more likely to be more inclined to work harder as they are trying to get their life on the right track.
Employers should not discriminate against all ex-convicts, but should rather give more of them a chance in society. A key to keeping low recidivism rates is employment for ex-convicts. Giving a former inmate work is beneficial for a community; it helps keeps these people off the streets and preoccupied with trying to create a stable living. Not having a job is a primary reason for recidivism rates. Unemployed ex-convicts tend to go back to the streets to make their living because they know how to survive like that; they may be used to making their living on the streets. Employers are a catalyst to a bad environment when they feel they are above hiring ex-convicts, meanwhile, they do not realize how much they are hurting the community that way. The point is not that employers should only hire ex-convicts or that employers are the main or only cause to a bad environment, but rather that they should give ex-convicts a chance to make right for themselves and their families. Bobby Metcalf, a Quad City Times writer, posted an Diaz 3 editorial that argues for greater employment of ex-convicts, “Employers make us feel like we don't belong in society. We made mistakes in the past and paid our debts to society. Employers need to find a way to integrate ex-cons into the workforce so that we won't be able to slip into our old ways.” (Metcalf) Metcalf makes the point that former and current prisoners are people too, they too need a job to survive in society. They have suffered enough from being isolated from a society that is always progressing and changing. Ex-convicts will already have a hard time trying to integrate back into society with a job, a lack of a job makes adapting to the change even more difficult. Most ex-convicts want to leave their street life behind them, which Metcalf implies, but that is hard to do when employers refuse to hire ex-convicts.
Finding a job is probably one of the most difficult tasks an ex-convict has to endure. It is not as simple as looking for a “help wanted” sign, going in and getting an application and filling it out then wait for a call back. For and ex-convict it is much more stressful than that. For most jobs, a background check is required; nobody has to worry about this except ex-convicts due to the immediate judgment and almost immediate declination of the job they have applied for. To go through this constant cycle, three, four or even ten times is a big confidence destroyer that most ex-convicts have to go through. In an article by Donny Lumpkins, a writer for the Richmond Pulse Newspaper in Richmond, California, he writes about his talk with an ex-convict, Garry, and his struggles in coming back into society looking for a job and how his biggest factor in achieving this was a strong support system. After Garry’s release from prison, he did not have a place to live. As few months after his release, a friend let him live in her car because she believed in him and wanted him to get back on his feet. She also introduced him to the Richmond based organization Rubicon. Rubicon specializes in helping ex-convicts get back Diaz 4 on their feet. Through Rubicon, Garry received a career coach who heavily believed in him and worked hard with Garry to get him a stable job. After many struggles, Garry finally received a stable job. (Lumpkins) One of Garry’s most difficult roadblocks in finding a job with Rubicon was having to check the “Have you ever been convicted of a felony” box. Garry, along with other former felons, get discouraged and lose confidence when checking this box; it is a label they are stuck with for the rest of their lives. His Rubicon coach made it her duty to find Garry a job that did not require a background check because she believed in him, just like his friend who let him sleep in her car. Although Garry did not have a huge support system, he had a strong one. Support is the biggest factor in adjusting to the outside world after incarceration because with strong support, confidence is gained and with confidence, many opportunities are seen clearer. Family tends to be the strongest support system one receives after prison, but in Garry’s case, it was a determined man with two strong people that believed in him. Through research (Travis and Visher 2011), a strong support system was found to be the best cause for low recidivism rates. But what does one do when they do not have family or friends to help themselves get through the rough patch of reentering a changed society? When a person has no one to help guide themselves to a better path after prison, or at least understand the changes in society, who does one go to? Some may provide an immediate answer of churches, shelters, and soup kitchens, although those happen to be good places to go, they are only short term.
There needs to be more programs to help ex-convicts get back on their feet smoothly. This would be highly beneficial not only for the former prisoners but for the economy as well. These Diaz 5 programs will provide more jobs for people, specifically people with sociology and/or psychology degrees, as well as provide jobs for ex-convicts and help them make a better living in this second time around in society. Roger Przybylski, the founder of the RKC group, who has nearly 30 years of experience conducting applied research in the criminal justice community, has performed a study as to “What Works” in keeping recidivism rates low. In his study, he states, “A variety of programs, properly targeted and well-implemented, can reduce recidivism and enhance public safety.” (Przybylski Pg 2) People who return from prison have shown a greater risk for mental instability and substance abuse, Przybylski suggests this being the first part to be tackled with programs to help keep low recidivism rates. He suggests these programs as a heavy alternative to constant re-imprisonment as that has shown to be very ineffective. A follow up step with the programs is education. Good education is becoming a huge factor in modern society and with good education former prisoners can give themselves a better opportunity in adapting to the forever changing society and jobs. But above all, it is support which will drive these suggested programs for ex-convicts. It may not be immediate family support, but to have a person strongly believe in an ex-convict and stick with the ex-convict to make a better life for him/herself is what will help move the discrimination of ex-convicts in the working place forward. When one thinks of a strong support system for a former prisoner, there is probably one person that might not be considered: a parole officer. A parole officer has the capability to be one of the worst or one of the best supporters for an ex-convict. Instead of having the mindset to do their job so they can get paid, parole officers should be trying to think about how they can make a positive difference in this ex-convicts life, and ultimately the community. Diaz 6
Changing the way a parole officer does his/her job is not something they can easily pick up in a lecture, but rather programs which train parole officers to provide positive support for the ex-convict while still doing their jobs efficiently. Ultimately, the goal is to have better education and job opportunities while providing parole officers a better understanding of how to help these prisoners as oppose to just “checking up on them.” This thought stems from an article on Jamie Chamberlain, Associate Editor for the American Psychological Association, and her ideas on how to reduce recidivism rates in Kentucky.
… adding programs that help inmates find housing, health services and employment and re-establish positive relationships with family and friends after their release from prison. She is also implementing statewide training for probation and parole officers and classification and treatment officers in the facilities to identify offenders at risk for repeat crimes and help them get treatment ahead of time that can help them ease into their new life. (Chamberlain)
Along with Przybylski’s main point in “What Works”, Chamberlain feels very strong about setting up programs for ex-convicts to help them fine tune their personal issues first. Fixing complications with family and friends should come before any attempt at getting back into the outside world on one’s own, which would be a difficult task. Having family and friends by one’s side for support is a primary key to success on the outside world. Given the proper training to parole officers, rebuilding relationships can become more evident for ex-convicts as there would be an outside party that may be trying to get both parties to cooperate and sincerely try to rebuild a broken relationship.