Life After Prison

As an ex-convict is released from prison and put on parole, the idea of freedom is exciting, but leaving prison soon brings fear.

The world they find themselves in is a different place since they first were incarcerated, and a lot of it is because of who they have become since prison. Employers are discriminatory, and people around them are judgmental.

These men and women hope for the resources to survive in their new world, to make a change, to start anew, but are prevented from doing so because they are not easily accepted by others.

Ex-convicts should be given the chance to change. They need to be given opportunities to transition from their past life through employment and overall more social acceptance. Only then will recidivism rates go down, removing the expensive costs of keeping someone in prison, and overall creating a safer world.

People leaving incarceration often try their best to get a job. However, the road block they always meet contains six troubling words:

"Have you ever committed a Felony?"

And so they must check "Yes" and give a further explanation to their past. Employers who view this naturally discriminate against those with felonies, even if in some cases they are better qualified than other applicants.

Data from study at Princeton University

In a study done by Professor Devah Pager at Princeton University, groups of young men posed as job applicants all over New York City applying for 250 different low-wage, entry-level job openings. The applicants had equal resumes, except some had a minor drug possession conviction. Results revealed that job applicants with the conviction were on average about 50% less likely to be called back or receive a job offer.

Employers are doing their best to hire employees that will create a safe and effective working environment. However, they often judge applicants too soon in the hiring process, and those with criminal pasts lose the opportunity to change their lives because they can't gain employment.  Employers, and business must be more accepting of ex-convicts applying for jobs that are just as qualified as other applicants.

However, not only do employers need to be accepting, but ex-convicts need to be better trained on skills that they can use for becoming employed.  50% of those incarcerated don't have a High School diploma.  They lack the schooling they need to get by. Thus programs, like the one in this video, need to be instituted in order to help ex-convicts obtain employment.

Overall, employment is an extremely effective way to reduce recidivism. All that needs to be done is ex-criminals need to be given the training they need to obtain a job, and they need to be less stereotyped in the labor market. Then, as ex-criminals begin to receive jobs, the community becomes a better place and the costs of prison go down.