In These Times: Old Criminal Records Are Life Sentences in Job Market

[marmar]

Old Criminal Records Are Life Sentences in Job Market

Monday
December 7
2:16 pm

By Seth Wessler


Almost two years ago, Vincent, a slim 46-year-old black man dressed in a plaid shirt, worked as a maintenance technician in Detroit. He had worked for the company for almost three months, but five days before his position converted to full time with benefits, his employer ran a criminal background check and told Vincent to pack it up.

"A lot of times, they cut you out of the job before they hire you in (full time)," Vincent said sitting at a diner near the temporary worker center where he waits for work from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.

Vincent has held a few temporary jobs since but hasn't found even a day of work recently. A breaking and entering conviction from 25 years ago follows him everywhere. "It's real hurtful to know that your chances are so broke down to zero," he said.

I met Vincent earlier this year while traveling the country to explore hidden impacts of the recession. Dozens of people recounted how criminal background checks punish them indefinitely by imposing lifelong barriers to successful employment and housing. The policies make re-entry an uphill battle, negating the criminal justice system's putative aim of rehabilitating prisoners. They also block our collective need to get people working in this economic crisis. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5276/old_criminal_records_are_life_sentences_in_job_market/

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. Kick. Important topic

[MineralMan]

2. It's also difficult for people over 50 years of age,

people with disabilities, people who speak haltingly, people with unusual features, and many others. Sorry, but I have a tough time with people who are convicted criminals competing for jobs with others who are disadvantaged, but honest.

I'm sure you take my meaning.

[dysfunctional press]

16. "disadvantaged, but honest..."

a 25 year old conviction for breaking and entering doesn't automatically make someone a dishonest person.
you have no idea what the original circumstances of the crime were, nor what has transpired in his life over the past quarter century...it could very well be that the 'disadvantaged, but honest' label you provided applies just as much to him as anyone else, because of how some people automatically view someone who's been convicted of something, without even stopping to consider anything else about the person or their life.

also- just because someone hasn't been convicted of a crime, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are an honest person.

who would you rather leave your kids with- the most honest convict, or the most dis-honest non-convict?

[Winterblues]

25. It is very difficult for me to ever trust a known thief

:shrug: Something young folks should give some thought too. What they do follows them throughout their lives.

[debbierlus]

28. People change. If everyone's skeletons were on the table

For all to see....

They wouldn't have enough people to fill jobs.

[Cerridwen]

3. Remember the phrase "paid their debt to society"?

It doesn't seem to apply any more. As we've become more punitive as a society, we "tattoo" "scarlet letters" (sorry for mixed metaphors) on all "criminals." Even those arrested are frequently presume guilty until proven innocent.

We've become so Medieval in the 21st Century.

[marmar]

5. This is the most punitive "First World" country on earth.....to a shocking degree sometimes.

nt

[Cerridwen]

7. It's scary how much the "European" portion of our country has returned

to its Puritan roots, mixed in a little Dickens, and added a large dollop of Chaucer so we can tell the "good" from the "bad" based solely on appearance.

[Alexander]

4. I worked in HR at a large grocery store chain years ago...

And I can say that even though the application said "Answering 'yes' does not automatically bar you from employment", the hiring manager wouldn't even bother looking at the rest of the application if he saw that box checked.

Some places are better than others. I've noticed some applications that would instruct you to answer "no" if the offense was a minor marijuana conviction, others would ask if you had a conviction in the past 5 years, etc.

Overall, though, the system is terribly broken. We're descending into a country of military grunts and prison slaves as people are left with no hope and no choice.

[rocktivity]

15. I've filled out applications that asked

"Have you ever been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or pleaded no contest to a felony or misdemeanor in the past five years?"

x(
rocktivity

[paulsby]

20. ah yes, more american exceptionalism

we suck we suck. people have no hope and no choice.

what utter rubbish

[Alexander]

27. Rubbish? Dispute the facts, then.

With something other than drive-by snark.

Or can you?

[Hannah Bell]

6. for sure. unless you find an employer with the specific mission of giving felons a break, they're

screwed, even when they sincerely want to start over.

known a couple via the homeless shelter.

[liberalhistorian]

11. It's not just felons. Even people with misdemeanors,

including fairly minor or trivial ones, and even if it was many years ago, are being punished this way. With the advent of the internet, employers can find records and info dating back decades. There's getting to be no such thing as second chances and redemption anymore.

[paulsby]

21. can;'t even get into CANADA!!

i have a friend who was denied entry into canada for a DUI.

he's a cop, which makes it doubly funny.

[BolivarianHero]

24. I'm Canadian...

And nobody at my workplace in downtown Ottawa believe when I told them how strict we are about letting people into our country.

[bridgit]

8. Sadly too true, we have a young friend with a 'record', hubby asks him along if we have work...

But he's been care provider for some old gay boys here in town and has seen a couple of them through their passage; one just the other day very sad, they're all very sad

He was informed that Schwarzenegger placed into the SEIU care provider provision: that no one with a criminal record will be considered for employ come next year

It becomes a social stigma, and people that have already paid their 'debt' are being forced to pay it over & over & over again

[mike_c]

9. this is life inside the vast machine....

eom

[Better Today]

10. If not this it's the closet racism, or closet ageism, or closet sexism.

Right now there are many groups taking "unfair" hits when it comes to employment. I know a lot of folks 50+ that can't find squat, lots of teen boys seem to suffering more than usual, and as always black men are taking a beating.

Being a black man, near 50, with a record,. . . my heart goes out to him. Disgustingly our society is just so f'ing judgmental and vindictive.

[high density]

12. Bad credit screws you as well

I have seen receptionist applicants be turned away because of bankruptcy and credit issues. Our entire job market is full of these ridiculous catch-22 situations.

[rocktivity]

13. When the economy's good, employers have the luxury of being generous

when it comes to "nontraditional" hirees. But when the economy puts so many good people out of work and creates so few good jobs to choose from, employers have the luxury of holding out for EXACTLY the kind employee they want.

Case in point: During the interview for the good job I just got, very first thing I was asked about was how I'd get to the office. The area has plenty of public transport, but is so parking-unfriendly I wouldn't drive there even if I could. There's a garage connected with the building, and I'm sure the company has spaces reserved, but they give management rather than staff first dibs. When I picked up my pay envelope, I shuffled through them pretending that I didn't see mine right away. Actually, I was checking the addresses: every single one of them was a bus or train ride away. Sure, I met the job's other qualifications, but I think my "edge" was that I didn't have a car!

Ex-cons, very unfortunately, are the worst of the "bad" people--right behind those with bad credit.


rocktivity

[Lucky Luciano]

14. I must admit to victimizing someone due to this.

I had a guy who ripped me off in business. I went after his entire family. The father is a disbarred immigration lawyer - a felon who stole money from the government (one of the scummeir kinds of lawyers) and the brother was convicted of burglary - who promptly changed his last name on linkedin - HAHA - I will crush him (until I am paid). This particular douchebag has other people on the internet who hate his guts after he ripped them off. I contacted people that do business with any family member to let them know what kind scum they were working with. Then the douchebag that ripped me off threatened me with libel - what an idiot - the truth is the truth. I sent him the following videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVfqEIv3EXQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ydqjqZ_3oc

[dysfunctional press]

17. there should be some type of process for automatically expunging some non-violent crimes...

from a person's record after a certain amount of time, provided they've kept 'clean' since.

i say 'some', because there are plenty of non-violent(especially 'white-collar') crimes that could rightfully disqualify someone for certain jobs.

[paulsby]

22. there IS a process

in most places, but many people who qualify do not take advantage of it.

[dysfunctional press]

23. that's why i say that it should be an automatic process.

[exboyfil]

18. This very thing forced Jean Valjean to break

his parole and establish himself as a businessman.

Unfortunately in a tight job market, employers are looking for any way to distinguish between employees.

[paulsby]

19. many times these records can be expunged

and most convicted criminals do not take advantage of this.

i can't speak for his state, but in my state, if you had a 25 yr old burglary charge, and you hadn't run afoul of the law since then, you would have a good chance of getting it expunged.

once it's expunged, you can answer "have you ever been convicted of a crime" with a NO and it's not considered a false statement.

cops can still pull up expunged records, with a little effort, but they are not available to civilian records check

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. And it's very expensive

I have had several friends have their records expunged. It's not easy or affordable.

[liberalhistorian]

29. Not only that, but it depends on the court as well.

Many courts make the process very difficult and they don't automatically grant the expungement. It's wrong, but that's the way it is too much of the time, unfortunately. People do a lot of stupid things in their teens and twenties and, if they grow up and clean up and become responsible, productive adults, it shouldn't then follow them for decades.

[kenichol]

30. NM is pushing for 'ban the box'

A bill to "ban the box" on public job applications in New Mexico... will remove barriers to employment for people with criminal convictions by removing the question on public job applications asking if a person has ever been convicted of a felony.

The bill will largely impact those individuals with criminal convictions from their youth who still must check the box despite their qualifications for the job or subsequent rehabilitation. Azul La Luz, a resident of Medanales, NM and current director of a large social service organization, was convicted of a felony 40 years ago.

"I'm a current PhD candidate at the University of New Mexico and I have two Masters' degrees. Despite my education and professional experience, I have never been allowed an interview whenever I've had to check the box," said La Luz, a supporter of the bill. "I used to be a city manager and county administrator, and I would have never gotten an interview for those positions by checking that box. I was given an opportunity and a second chance, and so should every other New Mexican with a criminal conviction."

The legislation does not prevent employers from asking about conviction status during the interview process and does not restrict employers from conducting background checks on applicants..."

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/pressroom/pressrelease/pr031909.cfm

Can we ALL push to have every state pass ban the box legislation?

I feel passionately, as I look at my son currently in prison for strictly drug offenses (no theft, no dui, no violence of any kind) that every one coming out of prison needs a chance.