Good Reasons for Employers to Hire Ex-Felony Offenders

Convicted felons go to jail and they serve their time. It is assumed that they pay their debt to society, but that isn't usually how employers look at it. As an employer, it might be worth considering hiring an ex-convict if they appear to be properly rehabilitated. That is especially true after a long period of time has passed with no further incidents. The only exception should be for violent offenders that can harm other people. There are several reasons you may want to consider an ex-convict for employment. Giving someone a chance to survive in the world is one of the best things you can do for society as a whole.

Reasons to hire a felony offender:

Less chance of recurrence- Many employers fear that a felony conviction means that the person is likely to re-commit the same crime or to commit a different crime in the workplace. The truth is, that isn't the truth. Felons who have been honest on their application know that they will be watched more closely than other employees because of the conviction. That is a normal thing for any employer to do. That means that it is less likely for a convicted felon who has already spent his/her time in jail to commit another crime. They don't want to go back to prison, after all. It is more likely for someone who has never been convicted of a crime or doesn't admit it on his/her application to be the high risk for crime in the workplace.

Convicted felons have to eat too- Convicted felons have to eat and feed their families too. They are in need of housing and clothing as well. They can't legally obtain anything that costs money if they don't have a job. Society ends up paying the price because the convicted felon who has already done his/her time obtains things illegally simply because they can't find proper work. That is the vicious cycle of a felony conviction. Law abiding citizens of your community will be much better off if you offer work to convicted felons who have been rehabilitated.

Passing time- Many states allow employers to ask if the applicant has ever had any felony convictions. This wording can mean the difference between a person being able to eventually find suitable work in order to survive. Felony convictions cover a wide range of crimes. People often tend to think of a felony conviction as a violent crime. Felony crimes shouldn't be brushed off as nothing, but each case should be looked at separately. There are ways to determine if someone is likely to commit another crime again. For example: If a person commits a crime that is classified as a felony conviction but it is the first offense in their lives , should that mean that they should never have a right to find suitable work again? Is it reasonable to expect that after seven years of not committing further crimes that the ex-convict will commit a crime again? It is probably not as reasonable as you think it is. Time tells us many things and one of them is that people really can change.

Training- Many people who are convicted of crimes and sent to prison learn a lot of new skills that can be very beneficial to the workplace. Some learn computer training other learn trades to help them when they are released from prison. All that training won't do them a bit of good if they can't find work when they are released. The only way for the tax dollars spent on training inmates can be put to good use is for the ex-convicts to be able to use them in the real world once released.

People who are convicted of crimes often do learn their lesson the first time around. They may have made a very bad error in judgment one time in their lives. It may be worth giving someone a second chance so that they can survive without having to commit other crimes to do it. Some criminals are career criminals and will continue to be such for the rest of their lives. Other criminals are the ones that may deserve a second chance at life so they don't become career criminals.