There have been two types of poor people in the eyes of the middle class and wealthy. It's been that way since the Middle Ages. The Deserving poor are the single parents, children, the sick, and the disabled. The Undeserving poor are able body people who refuse to work. No one, not even the poor, want lazy people to be rewarded for not doing anything to help themselves. This being said, some abled body people cannot work because they made a mistake. They committed a felony and paid for it. Thanks to the box they can no longer get a job.
I work with the mentally ill who have committed felonies. It is difficult help them find jobs. Most of them end up on SSI because they have mental Illness.
What about the other convicted felons who can not find a job? They were young and dumb when they broke the law. Now they are older and wiser; they want to work but no one will give them a second chance. They have no choice but to return to crime to survive.
These young men and women are eager to do anything and end up being wonderful employees.
No I'm not suggesting that a grocery store hire someone who committed Retail theft, but they can be hired into a position that doesn't involve cash or merchandise.
My employer hires convicted felons unless they were involved with abuse or neglect do to the fact that we care for our consumers in their homes.
Employers should ask felons about their crime and even ask for references from Parole Officers, Community Leaders and Pastors that can shed light on who that person is today.
We also need to make sure that after they serve their Sentence and they are now law abiding citizens the record should go away.
People are foolish to believe that hiring Felons is being tough on crime when in reality their actions are fueling the crime rate because when a person who can't get a job will return to crime to feed themselves.
I am not asking you to coddle ex felonies but give them a shot you may be surprised. He or she may turn out to be the most loyal employee you ever had.
In the old days, a young man could hop a freight train and take off to a different place for a fresh start. Today, a criminal record follows you forever. Worse, people are less tolerant of them.
ReplyDeleteA person who is denied a second chance is that much more likely to revert back to crime.
Yes they are
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