Most of us know a friend, family member, or loved one who has served time. Let me tell you about JC, who spent much of his 37 years navigating emotional and learning challenges and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Despite being a good kid, his life derailed after an arrest at 18, where he lost his job and driver’s license. Poor choices led to escalating prison sentences: 30 days, one year, three years, and over a decade. Released on November 20, 2017, JC tragically took his life 212 days later, on June 20, 2018. In those 212 days, any employer seeking hard work and pride in even the simplest tasks would have found that in JC—willing to work for minimum wage but offering maximum effort.

Billy Moore, Chicago CRED, North Lawndale Site Manager: “Society can’t continue to criminalize a person’s criminal background with legal barriers, but then expect for that person to not re-offend, even when no one is willing to hire that person because of their criminal past when the doors of employment are constantly slammed in the face of persons because of their background.”  This is a common experience, and this is what cost JC his life: an inability to find a hiring person who was ready, willing, and able to trust JC with a broom, a bucket, and a mop… tasks that JC would have delighted in for a paycheck and a “thank you for a good job”!

“Good reentry is a public safety issue. Over 600,000 people will return from incarceration in the United States this year, and how these people return should be of paramount importance to anyone interested in public safety. There are no possible tools that reduce the risk of recidivism as effectively as access to a job and a safe place to live.” Josh Hoe, Criminal Justice Senior Policy Manager, Dream.org. As employers, we can do two things at once: we can better meet our customers’ needs and make the world safer! There are plenty of potential hires if you look in the right place and know how to hire them to that place with good Human Resource policies and procedures.

“Individuals are far more likely and willing to engage in illegal activity to provide for their immediate needs when they cannot gain legal employment. There is pressure to provide for their families and address immediate needs. Pathways to employment allow justice-affected individuals to address these needs and build a new life” Andrew Witherspoon, Chicago CRED.

Employment for returning citizens/ ex-felons is a WIN/WIN/WIN; it is good for businesses, employees, and society! As an employer with over 30 years of combined experience in both hiring and working with individuals in the system or at risk of being in the system, I believe that we all need an opportunity to put food on our table, a roof over our heads, and move beyond the worst moment of the worst day of our lives!

For employers, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will guide you through the maze of how to hire candidates that will be “safe” and productive using https://www.gettingtalentbacktowork.org/learn-more/

“After release, fathers (and parents in general) face a new chapter in their lives, a new opportunity. They can point their lives in new directions to write different stories for themselves and their loved ones. Sitting at a family dinner and sharing stories, hopes, and dreams is a powerful plot point for many. Checking in with your children about their homework, it is in this and other spaces of connection that parents develop resiliency, grit, and the necessary relationships to move forward successfully in their lives.” Jason S. Frishman, PSYD Men’s Coach, Psychologist, Founder – JourneyMen Foundations

Hiring a person with a background and advocating for their ability to provide value to a business, themselves, and their family is the ultimate in healing, and in JC’s case… it was a path to a future that he never had. I have many calls with the families of current or formerly incarcerated people who are searching for that path for themselves or their loved ones. I am not alone; I cannot hire them all… please join me in this mutually beneficial pursuit of opening doors, banning the “box,” and forgiveness we would ask for if we were in their shoes.

“I believe the additional tax incentive for businesses to hire formerly incarcerated individuals is great. It will open some doors that may have otherwise stayed locked. Research shows that hiring individuals who have been incarcerated unlocks a wealth of talent, desire, and loyalty; it is good for the person, good for the company, and good for society.” Augie Ghilarducci, President of 2nd Opportunity and creator of the 2nd Opportunity Program.