Gooberlx2
Lifer
- May 4, 2001
- 15,381
- 6
- 91
What was the question. I voted no as in "I wouldn't hire one". I certainly think they should be allowed back in to the workforce. I'm just biased because of my experience with my BIL, his parole, and his shady behavior and friends.
I do firmly believe one of the biggest reasons for recidivism is because the cards are so ridiculously stacked against the felons. Most criminals don't have real family support, or anything in the way of assets or belongings when they get out. For many it's a choice of living on the streets or halfway houses, either way surrounded by the exact element and influence (criminals and addicts) that often lead to their paths to criminal behavior in the first place. Additionally, most have to pay for their piss tests ($3 for my BIL) and visits to their POs and drug counselors and group meetings...but with what money? Stupidly, if you fuck up on your piss tests, you get sent to rehab and then subsequent counseling and group classes are free. What's the incentive for someone to do well? (a subsequent fuck up often results in the parolee being sent back to prison). In the 10 months my BIL was out, he had stories of a number of fellow inmates/parolees who intentionally committed crimes because a) they were too institutionalized and b) they simply weren't able to get on their feet. When he was arrested and convicted again, I think his motives were partly because he's simply a criminal at heart, and also because he had a very hard time adjusting to life outside.
There's no good solution to it though. Like I said, I wouldn't hire a felon, but people working in my lab aren't unskilled or uneducated. If I was hiring line cooks for McDs, it might be different. But it would still depend on exactly what their criminal history looked like.
I do firmly believe one of the biggest reasons for recidivism is because the cards are so ridiculously stacked against the felons. Most criminals don't have real family support, or anything in the way of assets or belongings when they get out. For many it's a choice of living on the streets or halfway houses, either way surrounded by the exact element and influence (criminals and addicts) that often lead to their paths to criminal behavior in the first place. Additionally, most have to pay for their piss tests ($3 for my BIL) and visits to their POs and drug counselors and group meetings...but with what money? Stupidly, if you fuck up on your piss tests, you get sent to rehab and then subsequent counseling and group classes are free. What's the incentive for someone to do well? (a subsequent fuck up often results in the parolee being sent back to prison). In the 10 months my BIL was out, he had stories of a number of fellow inmates/parolees who intentionally committed crimes because a) they were too institutionalized and b) they simply weren't able to get on their feet. When he was arrested and convicted again, I think his motives were partly because he's simply a criminal at heart, and also because he had a very hard time adjusting to life outside.
There's no good solution to it though. Like I said, I wouldn't hire a felon, but people working in my lab aren't unskilled or uneducated. If I was hiring line cooks for McDs, it might be different. But it would still depend on exactly what their criminal history looked like.
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