Monday, December 29, 2014

JOBS - Giving Ex-Convicts a Better Chance

"Banning ‘the box’ to give ex-convicts a better chance at finding a job" PBS NewsHour 12/25/2014

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Many employers require job applicants to disclose any criminal history, often preventing those with a record from reentering the workforce.  But Illinois is one of a number of states working to change this, with a new law prohibiting employers from asking about convictions on initial applications.  Special correspondent Brandis Friedman of WTTW reports on the “ban the box” movement.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  Now, a move to make it easier for people who have been convicted of a crime to find employment after being released from prison.

Several states and municipalities are preventing employers from asking about criminal convictions up front.  The so-called ban the box movement would eliminate a check-box on initial job applications.

Brandis Friedman from our affiliate WTTW in Chicago has this report.

WOMAN:  How do I know I can trust you?

BRANDIS FRIEDMAN, WTTW Chicago:  It is a question any employer might ask the students in this room.  Each of them has a felony conviction and has served time in prison and each of them wants to prove to a future employer that he or she can be trusted.

Twenty-six-year-old Carl Lynch is one of the students receiving job readiness training from the Safer Foundation, a nonprofit that helps released prisoners transition back into society.

CARL LYNCH, Job Seeker:  The economy is always changing.  Jobs are always getting tougher.  And I feel like it’s just preparing me to be ready to reenter into the work force.

BRANDIS FRIEDMAN:  Lynch was released from Illinois State Prison in early July after serving two years for breaking into a car with someone inside.  He says a new job will help make him the father he once was to his two children.

CARL LYNCH:  I want to feel like the provider I was before I left.  I know I never can get the time back, but it’s important just for me to be there and let them know that dad’s back.

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