How Can a Felon Ever Make an Honest Living Again?
For many people, not much idea is given to a captive after the guilty verdict is reached in the court. Justice was served—a person who broke the law is now removed from the community and the rest of usa can move on, right? That's probable shortsighted.
It'due south piece of cake to mentally write off a convicted felon. Just according to a written report from the U.Due south. Department of Justice (DOJ), the average felony judgement was just over 3 years.* That means almost of these convicts typically have a lot of time for life after prison.
If the goal is to reform these individuals and welcome them back as productive members of society, the numbers don't look good. A separate DOJ study plant that an heart-popping 76 percent of the thousands of inmates studied were arrested again within v years of their release.
So why is this happening? Unless yous're a subscriber to the idea that people are merely "born bad," there's got to exist a unlike reason for such a high arrest rate.
While the probable respond to that is found in a circuitous mix of personal, economic and societal factors, in that location are some clear barriers that make reintegration challenging for those with a felony conviction. In this article, we'll take a closer look at some of these barriers and what, if anything, is being washed to assistance.
What is a felony, exactly?
Every bit you probably already know, not all crimes are treated equally equally astringent—you don't go sent to prison for jaywalking. A felony is a class of criminal crime that is reserved for the about serious crimes. Many felony crimes are tearing in nature—like armed robbery, murder and sexual assault. Merely many others are belongings or drug-related.
At that place'south no denying that a felony conviction is a serious offense that comes with a serious punishment—but often the effects of this penalization linger for the rest of their lives, no affair the changes or choices they've made since.
4 Issues felons face up during life afterward prison house
i. Employment
Lack of employment opportunities for former felons is easily one of the biggest factors in recidivism. Employers are understandably skittish almost hiring felons, and that can make life extremely hard for any ex-con trying to make a fresh start. If a felon can't find work—let alone piece of work that pays a decent wage—turning toward illegal ways to make money becomes much more palatable and the wheel continues.
Hiring felons can exist a catchy subject for employers. Some debate employers tin can be sued and held liable for negligent hiring practices if they don't practise their due diligence in examining employee backgrounds. On the other hand, using applicant criminal history information can as well leave employers vulnerable to legal action if their policies result in discrimination. Additionally, many felons aren't applying for positions with a limited number of applicants, and so information technology can be piece of cake for employers to err on the side of caution and hire an equally qualified, non-felon candidate.
What'due south being done to help? In recent years, reformers take pushed to "ban the box," which hopes to remove questions regarding criminal records from employment applications and filibuster background checks until later in the hiring process. The idea is to prevent employers from screening out people with criminal records without at giving them a fair chance to be compared to other applicants.
The federal government besides offers revenue enhancement incentives to employers who hire people from groups facing significant barriers to employment. Additionally, a tighter job market has helped equally employers go less choosy in their hiring decisions.
2. Housing issues
Another difficult chore felons face in their life later prison house is finding a place to live. Many landlords refuse to rent to former convicts equally they are not a protected grade of citizens. This means felons are oftentimes stuck trying to find temporary housing with friends and family members—some of whom may be part of the bad influences that helped country them in prison house in the beginning place.
Lack of stable housing compounds the issues felons face in finding work as it is. Studies show that a lack of housing options sustains a negative cycle of increased homelessness, which also leads to more incarceration.
What is existence done to aid? In the spring of 2016, the Section of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a guideline alter that would leave landlords open to ceremonious suits if information technology tin can be proven their refusal to hire to those with criminal records disproportionately harms protected minority groups under the Fair Housing Act. Additionally, many states have nonprofit "halfway homes," or reentry programs, that work to give former inmates a stable surroundings every bit they get resettled. While the idea of a supervised living state of affairs might not sound ideal for someone leaving prison, it is often better than the alternative.
three. Teaching
Many felons are way behind the educational curve. One survey of 1,300 inmates found that approximately xxx percent of convicted felons did non have a high school diploma or GED, which dwarfs the fourteen pct of all U.S. adults with no diploma or GED. In an economic environment where more than employers are seeking candidates with a college didactics, that achievement gap can be disastrous.
Further complicating things is that funding for prison pedagogy programs is spotty and inconsistent from land to state, which tin limit opportunities for the incarcerated to take hold of upward. Additionally, inmates are no longer eligible for Pell grants, and certain drug convictions may impact eligibility for financial aid, depending on the circumstances.
What is being done to help? At that place has not been a lot of progress at a federal level in congress—some tenets of criminal justice reform encounter bipartisan back up, merely no quantum has been fabricated for prisoner education. That said, some states are making moves to provide boosted educational funding for incarcerated individuals.
4. Voter disenfranchisement
Another often overlooked disadvantage of life after prison is not having the right to vote. While this isn't quite equally severe as not having a house or a job, voting is even so an of import part of being an engaged denizen. Currently, 35 states foreclose persons on parole from voting—and 12 other states have laws that either permanently ban felons from voting or require significant waiting periods before beingness eligible to vote again.
Four states (Florida, Iowa, Virginia and Kentucky) identify a ban on voting for felons where the correct to vote is but restored after a state officer or lath signs off. Other states take voter reinstatement processes that critics call arduous and discouraging. That means millions of people who've served their time are prevented from weighing in on the direction of their regime.
What is being done to assist? Changes to the voting rights of former felons are generally going to come from country governments. Reform groups like FairVote and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) piece of work to foyer state legislatures and nowadays legal challenges to these rules. Additionally, in November 2018, Florida voters will have a hazard to counterbalance in on initiated constitutional subpoena that would automatically restore voting rights for most felons who've completed their judgement, parole or probationary period.
Why should you intendance about a felon's life after prison?
A convicted felon has made poor decisions in life—then why should we care what happens to them? As mentioned earlier, the time they spend incarcerated is typically only a minor portion of their lives. The barriers described to a higher place all contribute to the high likelihood of felons falling back into a bicycle of criminal beliefs and incarceration, which has negative side furnishings that seep into our communities.
Additionally, there are financial benefits to felons successfully reentering club. In 2015, the Federal Bureau of Prisons found the average yearly price of federal imprisonment was merely under $32,000 per inmate—and federal inmates are simply a modest portion of the overall prison population. While additional educational and vocational training would require funding, a 2013 RAND Corporation study found that for every dollar invested in prison house teaching, incarceration costs dropped four to five dollars during the first iii years mail-release. This is a effect of decreased recidivism and improved employment opportunities.
How can y'all aid former convicts get back on track?
Life afterward prison house doesn't accept to be a life sentenced to failure. If learning more most these barriers to reentry former convicts face up has yous thinking you want to get involved, that'due south great! Better yet, there are entire career paths that focus on helping the convicted get back on track.
Human being services professionals often work closely with nonprofits and government agencies to help quondam offenders get established. If you're interested in this type of work, learn more about what information technology takes in our article, "viii Signs You lot Were Meant to Piece of work in the Homo Services Field."
Probation and parole officers are also on the front lines of reforming the lives of individuals within the criminal justice system. If you'd similar to acquire more about the differences betwixt these 2 roles and how they'd fit your career ambitions, and so read our commodity, "Parole Officer vs. Probation Officer: Which One Is Right For Y'all?"
*U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Felony Sentences in State Courts, 2006 - [Information accessed April 11, 2018] https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fssc06st.pdf
How Can a Felon Ever Make an Honest Living Again?
Source: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/justice-studies/blog/life-after-prison/