News - Employment

New facility built to counter habitual crime - Employment
By Michael Doughty - Email at Beacon Journal site - November 7th, 2011

The Ohio Justice and Policy Center in Cincinnati is launching what’s considered a first-of-its-kind database that allows the general public, offenders, defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges to see how felony, and even misdemeanor, records affect future employment and other civil opportunities.

Hard time finding a job? Try being an ex-con - Employment
By Jerry Davich - Email at jdavich@post-trib.com - November 5th, 2011

Roosevelt Swarn has filled out too many applications that he knows will never land him an interview, let alone a job or a career.

Outlaw Art - Employment
By LOUISE RAFKIN - Email at NY Times website - October 22nd, 2011

Of the nearly 5,000 men imprisoned here, over 700 are on death row. The condemned, who live in solo cells, are allowed knitting needles. Their baby blankets and stuffed bunnies are sold in the shop.

Plan would offer tax break for hiring felons - Employment
By Rachel Gordon - Email at rgordon@sfchronicle.com - October 18th, 2011

The goal is to shave about $10,000 off a business' companywide payroll tax burden for every new convict it hires full time.

Biden defends jobs bill link to crime rate - Employment
By Editors of UPI - Email at United Press Int'l website - October 23rd, 2011

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said his contention that failure to pass President Obama's jobs bill would result in higher crime was no scare tactic.

Delaware seeks ways to help ex-cons enter the workforce - Employment
By Eve Tahmincioglu - Email from delaware first website - September 22nd, 2011

The recidivism rate, which basically tracks re-offenders, hasn’t been calculated in Delaware for years. And that means not even the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) knows how many of their former inmates are returning to prison.

Programs Intended To Help Ex-Cons Find Jobs - Employment
By Staff - Email from Website - August 26th, 2011

Cincinnati - A forum, called Building Bridges to Break Barriers, was held Friday to help discuss ways to help ex-offenders re-enter the mainstream.

New training aims to get ex-offenders jobs - Employment
By Staff - Email from Boston Business Journal site - August 24th, 2011

A three-day training being offered this fall and organized by a coalition of workforce organizations, community colleges, state departments and law enforcement agencies aims to help enhance job training opportunities for ex-offenders.

Georgia to replace illegal immigrants with ex-cons for labor - Employment
By Ewa Kochanska - Email at website - June 15, 2011

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued a statement on Tuesday suggesting that the agricultural jobs in the state can be filled with ex- criminals, at least partially.

Job market enven tougher for people with rap sheets - Employment
By Diane Turbyfill - dturbyfill@gastongazette.com - May 22, 2011

Anyone who applies for a job through Ultraforce Staffing Services is subjected to a criminal background check.

The Struggle for Employment - Employment
By Alice Ollstein - Email from Corrections.com website - May 9, 2011

A New Push to Convince DC Businesses to Hire Ex-offenders

Sheriff's Program Teaches Prisoners To Get Out Of Jail - Employment
National Public Radio Editorial - Email from website - May 1, 2011

The ultimate goal of Baca's program is to prepare prisoners for a crime-free life, so they don't land back behind bars. California has the highest recidivism rate in the country, 67.5 percent in 2010. Baca sees his program as a way to hopefully reduce that number in the long run.

Mayor Nutter signs “Ban The Box’ legislation - Employment
By Editor - email from website - Apr 23, 2011

Philadelphia is the first city in the Commonwealth to enact this legislation for both public and private employers.

Internet Lets a Criminal Past Catch Up Quicker - Employment
By Erica Goode - Email at nytimes.com - April 28, 2011

Advocates for workers say that the indiscriminate use of background checks by companies has made finding employment extremely difficult for millions of Americans.

Ex-con plays big role in White House Easter - Employment
Editorial - Email from website - April 24, 2011

Chef Jeff Ragsdale explains how his life and the lives of many of his co-workers have broken pasts.

'Green' Queens jobs are a reversal of Fortune for ex-cons - Employment
By Clare Trapasso - Email from NY Daily News website - August 2, 2011

A Long Island City organization is offering scores of former inmates a second chance to get it right.

Why We Need to Protect Ex-Con Job Seekers from Discrimination - Employment
By Adam Cohen - Email at Time website - August 1st, 2011

In San Francisco, the Reentry Council, a local governmental body that advocates on behalf of ex-prisoners, called in March for the city to amend its laws to prohibit private employers and landlords from discriminating on the basis of a person's arrest or conviction record.

Letter: A second chance is worth the risk - Employment
By Ron Wade - Email at website - July 24th, 2011

Memphis - To automatically reject a person who's made poor choices in the past and never allow them to get off of the mat may not be in the best interest of our city.

Las Vegas Urban League helps put felons back to work - Employment
By Lynnette Curtis - lcurtis@reviewjournal.com - July 5, 2011

Nevada has long done better than most when it comes to one issue: recidivism rates

Records law offers ex-offenders a second chance - Employment
By Heather Gillers - heather.gillers@indystar.com - July 5, 2011

"The best crime-fighting tool we can have is a good job".

Convicts called too poor to pay - Employment
By Ken Kobayashi - kkobayashi@staradvertiser.com - June 27th, 2011

Employers should hire criminals as a way of enabling them to remit funds as ordered by the courts, probation officials and others say.

Criminal records keeping millions of Ohioans jobless - Employment
By Mary McCarty - mmccarty@coxohio.com - June 25, 2011

We’re all paying this price,” JohnsonGrove observed. “This is our shared prosperity that’s being damaged by excluding people with criminal records.

Female Prison Inmates Trained to Start Businesses - Employment
By Deena Prichep - Email at NPR website - June 7, 2011

A course called Lifelong Information For Entrepreneurs, or LIFE, is designed to provide inmates the skills to start their own small businesses after they are released.

Georgia to replace illegal immigrants with ex-cons for labor - Employment
By Ewa Kochanska - Email at website - June 15, 2011

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued a statement on Tuesday suggesting that the agricultural jobs in the state can be filled with ex- criminals, at least partially.

Job market enven tougher for people with rap sheets - Employment
By Diane Turbyfill - dturbyfill@gastongazette.com - May 22, 2011

Anyone who applies for a job through Ultraforce Staffing Services is subjected to a criminal background check.

The Struggle for Employment - Employment
By Alice Ollstein - Email from Corrections.com website - May 9, 2011

A New Push to Convince DC Businesses to Hire Ex-offenders

Sheriff's Program Teaches Prisoners To Get Out Of Jail - Employment
National Public Radio Editorial - Email from website - May 1, 2011

The ultimate goal of Baca's program is to prepare prisoners for a crime-free life, so they don't land back behind bars. California has the highest recidivism rate in the country, 67.5 percent in 2010. Baca sees his program as a way to hopefully reduce that number in the long run.

Mayor Nutter signs “Ban The Box’ legislation - Employment
By Editor - email from website - Apr 23, 2011

Philadelphia is the first city in the Commonwealth to enact this legislation for both public and private employers.

Internet Lets a Criminal Past Catch Up Quicker - Employment
By Erica Goode - Email at nytimes.com - April 28, 2011

Advocates for workers say that the indiscriminate use of background checks by companies has made finding employment extremely difficult for millions of Americans.

Ex-con plays big role in White House Easter - Employment
Editorial - Email from website - April 24, 2011

Chef Jeff Ragsdale explains how his life and the lives of many of his co-workers have broken pasts.

Job fair gives Cenla Re-Entry Solution clients hope - Employment
By Warren Hayes - Email whayes@thetowntalk.com - April 01, 2011

Peters said his company is a "second-chance organization" to help ex-offenders receive a job.

Oklahoma nonprofits help former inmates build new lives, find work - Employment
By Ginnie Graham - ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com - March 6, 2011

When Teresa Brichett fills out a job application, there's always a box to check that makes her nervous.

Job hunt becomes a battle for female ex-inmates - Employment
By Ginnie Grahm & Curtis Killman - Email at Tulsaworld Website - March 6, 2011

"They are not a DOC number; they have a name," Ware said. "We treat them with respect they may not have received before. It's a whole new world for them."

States Help Ex-Inmates Find Jobs - Employment
By Steven Greenhouse - Email from website - Jan 24, 2011

Faced with yawning budget gaps and high unemployment, California, Michigan, New York and several other states are attacking both problems with a surprising strategy: helping ex-convicts find jobs to keep them from ending up back in prison.

Commissioners OK plan to help people find jobs after leaving prison - Reentry Program, Employment
By LARISSA GRAHAM - lgraham@lufkindailynews.com - December 15, 2010

Angelina County commissioners on Tuesday approved a partnership that will help former inmates find jobs once they are released from prison.

South Carolina prison farm expands dairy, making it largest in state as cost-saving move. - Employment
By Seanna Adcox - No Email - November 12, 2010

REMBERT, S.C. (AP) — A state prison will soon be home to South Carolina's largest dairy under one roof, as a $7 million expansion quadruples the herd at a prison farm and allows the state to sell millions of gallons of excess milk. South Carolina's three prison farms save taxpayers more than $600,000 annually, as inmates work to produce all of the milk, eggs and grits — and some vegetables — served to 24,000 prisoners statewide. The new dairy at Wateree River Correctional Institution, set to open in January, could eventually more than double that savings, according to the state Corrections Department. South Carolina prison farm expands dairy, making it largest in state as cost-saving move

Job Seeking Ex-Cons Encouraged to Overcome Odds - Employment
By Barbara Cotter - barb.cotter@gazette.com - November 10, 2010

As president and CEO of SET Family Medical Clinics, which operates a re-entry program for ex-offenders, she and her colleagues put on a “Jail to Jobs” workshop Wednesday to motivate and educate a roomful of people struggling to find employment.
“People have to reinvent themselves,” Joseph said. “We are no longer a society that forgives and forgets. Even though they’ve done their time, they don’t get a fair start in starting over.”
SET has about 1,200 ex-offenders in its the Comprehensive Healthcare Re-entry Program, which started in October 2008 to reduce recidivism by focusing on participants’ physical and mental health.
“We believe that if you have health challenges, how can you go out and find a job and do all the other things you need if you’re not feeling well?” she said to the crowd of mostly young men.
The barriers to finding a job, however, are staggering.
“It’s twice or three times as hard as it is for people with a criminal background to find employment due to our economy, because they’re going up against people who have no barriers,” said Terence Jackson, director of access services for Pikes Peak Workforce Center.

If You Don't Want to Hire Felons, You Need a Good Reason - Employment
By The National Center - comment@newsblaze.com - August 16, 2010

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is warning employers that it is illegal to use a prospective employee's past conviction records, even for serious felonies, as an "absolute measure" as to whether they should be hired because this "could limit the employment opportunities of some protected groups."

Temp work helps felons get back on track - Employment
By David Hench - dhench@mainetoday.com - August 15, 2010

When Travis Battis got out of prison in December, virtually every prospective employer shied away from his criminal history. He'd served two years for burglary and assault, he said. But the 29-year-old fisherman landed a position with Maine Day Labor Inc., a Portland agency that hires temporary workers, including men who are getting out of jail or prison and need a chance to get their feet on the ground.

A Fresh Start - Employment
By Jim Gibbons (Goodwill Industries CEO) - info@huffingtonpost.com - August 10, 2010

Recently, we heard from one of our case managers at Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids about Charles Plummer, a man who lived in this cycle of release and re-incarceration but eventually found a way to change his life for the better. Charles was enrolled in the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative Program when his parole officer suggested that he visit Goodwill. After some initial hesitation, Charles completed the Goodwill's Better Life Initiative class and received a certificate in May 2009. He then completed three months of temporary work at the Goodwill's recycling center.

Helping ex-inmates find A Better Way - Non-profit offers structure, hope - Employment
By Matt Fair - mfair@njtimes.com - August 9, 2010

They joke that he's the first new farmer to come out of Trenton in years. But Albert Peoples, sitting behind a plastic folding table at a produce market on the corner of North Clinton and Olden avenues on Saturday morning, is striving to become something even greater than just a farmer. After, he readily admits, six trips to jail over the course of his life, he says he's ready to turn his life around and to become an example: that there is life after incarceration, that there is an alternative to hustling on city streets.

No More “Felony Box” on County Job Forms - Employment
By Mary Morgan - mary.morgan@annarborchronicle.com - August 8, 2010

A day after the primary election – one that brought victories to all commissioners who were running for office – the board faced a full agenda, but dispatched most of its business with minimal discussion. Donald Staebler. One item, however, yielded lengthy debate: A resolution that would remove the “felony box” from county job applications, and eliminate background checks for all jobs except those deemed sensitive. Several commissioners were uneasy with even partial elimination of background checks. The resolution was ultimately amended to deal with only the felony box, which asks applicants if they’ve ever been convicted of a felony. Commissioners ended up unanimously approving the removal of that question from job applications.

City Could Drop 'Felon' Question From Job Applications - Employment
By John London - jlondon@wlwt.com - August 4, 2010

Encouraged, but still feeling like it's a mountain that's virtually impossible to climb. That's how some convicted felons react to the city of Cincinnati's change in policy about job applications. Earlier this week, a majority of City Council decided that people looking for employment with the city do not have to check a box to reveal whether or not they have a felony record.