Letting Ex-Cons Move On
Glad to hear that Detroit is considering stronger measures to help former convicts integrate back into society.
The City Council is weighing a proposal to eliminate questions about convictions from job applications for city jobs and contracts. Numerous cities nationwide already have done so, and advocates say moving the question later into the hiring process would help provide second chances to as many as 10,000 felons who are released from prison each year and return to Detroit.
Yes, as much as I believe that the criminal justice system in America is biased against poor folks, and poor black and brown people in particular, I also firmly believe that there are plenty of men and women who, for whatever reasons, deserve jail as punishment.
But I also think that when you've done your time, your debt to society should be considered paid in full. Your criminal record shouldn't be used to punish you further. Moving questions about criminal history further back in the job application process strikes me as a good start.
Obviously, some disagree.
"Being able to hide behavior that's serious enough to be incarcerated does not seem to serve the public interest. It seems like that's a part of our cultural flow (of moving) away from personal responsibility and public accountability for one's own behavior."
Well, first off, working a legit job is almost always in the "public interest," isn't it? And I'm not sure how a convicted felon who has served his or her time is "moving away" from personal responsibility. Further, I think the "public accountability" part was covered off when the judge handed down that prison time.
So why not let former convicts try to get on with rebuilding their lives? No, Michigan and Detroit don't suffer under ass-backwards policies like laws in some states that prohibit felons from voting — but without a job, how can convicted criminals really be expected to be productive citizens?
Yes, employers should be able to ask questions about a person's criminal history. But in a city like Detroit especially, if we really want people who've done time to benefit our communities instead of harm them, this proposal to delay those questions in the process seems like a reasonable step in the right direction.
Thoughts?
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1
I completely agree that the convictions question should be moved to the later interview stages.
8 years ago, I became a convicted felon. My crime was not a high class felony, but it was indeed a felony. I paid my time for the crime of drunk driving, 3rd offense within 10 years. I did not lose my job over the incident because I sought help and have also received voluntary treatment to help keep my alcoholism in check.
2 years ago, due to the economic crunch, the company I worked for eliminated many of it's divisions. My position was eliminated. I went from six figure income to unemployment pay. With my credentials and work history I should have been picked up by any number of potential employers, but I wasn't. Why? Because I answered honestly on the initial application forms that I had a felony conviction. HR Departments dropped me like a hot potato with no further follow-up. I know this for a fact it was only due to the conviction on my record, which I had paid for.
I am now working in a low paying position ($25k/yr). I lost my home and had to declare bankruptcy a year ago. Yes, what I did was wrong and I deserved to be convicted, but I have definitely repaid my debt to society and then some. I just wish I could get an even break in the job marketplace.
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1.1
This is an interesting article and a good reply. Doing time in jail is only part of repaying a debt to society; getting back in among people is the other.
In my opinion, we all have a debt to society. We all rely on it, after all: schools, banks, public spaces, and, of course, the development of the capitalist system in general are all part of living and working together. We need everybody's help we can get.
Detroit is full of tons of people who want the city to be a good home. Yes, many people there have made awful decisions and hurt themselves and others. But if they live their entire lives reminded of that, what good can they do? How can they move on, and be a help to themselves and others?
Criminal checks cannot be excluded from job interviews, of course. But there's nothing wrong with a criminal check. What's wrong is assuming that, if someone's committed a felony, they're flat-out no good.
It would do Detroit well to consider the people it's got, rather than just letting a large potential workforce sit out on the streets. Businesses should move in. There is labor available. People want to work, to get past the desolation, to live normal, happy, and productive lives.
usacitizen1952, you have not yet repaid your debt in full—and I hope you get a chance to, by using your skills in a good job to help other people! Good luck.
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- TheDetroitHouse After a year of learning, observing and understanding, TIME says goodbye to Detroit. Podcast: All Good Things... http://shar.es/0V3I7 - 1 year ago
- TheDetroitHouse Our Donation to Detroit http://shar.es/0FX2T - 1 year ago
- TheDetroitHouse Read Kristy Erdodi's "How Detroit Became My Sexy City" http://bit.ly/9zG13z - 1 year ago
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