Prison Reform & Recidivism

Everyone fills out job applications online now. It seems to make sense to do so. The technology exists to save employers time when facing a mountain of applications, and to not utilize it seems rather foolish. Whether technology is good or bad, however, is up to the user.

In the case of online job applications, it is very easy to automatically weed out applications with "red flags". I encounter the following scenario at least several times per week: A client comes in to our Job Club. He/She is dressed as professionally as possible. They are on time because we lock our doors at 9:01. They have a positive attitude, and are ready to make a positive change in their life. The client carefully searches through the job leads that we pulled for Job Club the night before, and selects a few that they would like to apply for. He/She sits down at the computer, and with or without some help, goes to work applying. It only takes a few minutes for the problems to start. Everyone knows that almost every job application contains a "felony question". We prepare our clients to handle this. This isn't the problem. It's an innocent little question that most people give NO thought to. "What was your starting wage at your last job?" The client stops working on the application. How does one approach this? Do you leave off your last job because it was a job you held on "the inside"? If you do, in the case of some of our clients, you have a 20 year employment gap that throws a HUGE red flag. If you put down your last job, you are stopped by the initial question. Do you answer 12-13 cents an hour that is the rate in Missouri? This is also a huge red flag.

It's very easy to set a program to remove these applications automatically. The employer may never even see them. This benefits no one. The client automatically loses consideration for the position, and he or she doesn't even know it. Sometimes they continue the application process, which, for someone with very limited computer skills, can take an hour and a half. Valuable time is lost for them. Time that is hard to come by when you are on Probation.
On the other side, the employers also lose. They might lose the most qualified candidate for the job. In the case today, it was a very experienced, very kind individual who was doing everything in his power to turn his life around and become a law-abiding, honest citizen. In another case that has been going on since I came to the ReEntry One Stop Career Center in October, it's a gentleman who has over 18 years of management experience at a very big company that holds government contracts. He is one of the sweetest people I have met in a long time, and has more experience than anyone could ask for, but his application is probably being automatically deleted because of a mistake he made years ago.
The practice of using online applications may save time, but when it weeds out the most qualified candidate, as it has some cases I've dealt with, then what good is it to potential employees or employers?

No one benefits.

I do my work at a reentry facility in St. Louis, Missouri and I am always trying to stay as up to date on the numbers as possible. Unfortunately, 2009 data hasn't been released yet by the Missouri Department of Corrections, but 2008's data is available. In reading through the 2008 packet, I came across some of the most disturbing numbers I have seen so far. During that year in Missouri, around 60% of those incarcerated had a G.E.D. or High School diploma. The next highest category with almost 12%: 0-3 grade education. 12% OF PEOPLE INCARCERATED IN MISSOURI HAVE LESS THAN A 4th GRADE EDUCATION.

The more reading I do, the more it becomes apparent that many of the issues that plague our society are interlinked. Statistically, incarceration rates go down as education levels go up. Education is one piece of the puzzle in helping those reentering society get back on their feet. With higher education and training comes the possiblity of obtaining gainful employment, and the odds decrease that an individual will end up returning to prison.

Instead of being tough on crime, we need to be smart on crime. Spending money on education and training for those incarcerated can lead to safer and stronger communities when those individuals return to society.

Every now and then I want to write a piece, but in researching it, discover that someone has done more justice to the issue than I could. I believe most people in the United States have some idea that African Americans are incarcerated at higher rates than any other race, but I believe in most cases, the extent to which this is the case is lost. The Prison Policy Initiative wrote a phenomenal piece that clearly demonstrates why we need to reform the prison system in this country.

A second chance means:
1. Being able to to put food on the table
2. Being able to provide for your children
3. Being able to earn an honest living
4. Being able to vote and participate in our democracy
5. Being able to prove yourself to society

Everyone makes mistakes. Some people in our society, however, have paid their debt and are still being punished.

Not having a second chance means:
1. Higher, more violent crime rates as people are forced to do what they can to make ends meet.
2. Higher taxes. More people incarcerated means more tax dollars to keep them there.
3. Decreased Public Safety
4. An ever widening gap between the rich and the poor