Any pallet company operator knows that the success of his operation relies heavily on the integrity of his employees and their work ethic.
It’s a tough business. It’s demanding. Scheduled orders have to be filled and delivered on time. Unfortunately, responsible employees are increasingly difficult to find and keep these days.
But what if there is an untapped market of such employees that largely goes unconsidered, unnoticed, and even outright disregarded because they made grave mistakes in the past? What if these unlikely employees are so excited about their new lease on life that they make great employees who are loyal and willing to work hard when given a chance? Such employees exist, and they are more eager to help you succeed than you might expect.
Every year, federal, state and county prisons release close to 11 million adults back into their communities. These are people who have a checkered past, to say the least. You can search their names on the internet and find all sorts of horrible things about them and what they did (or were accused of doing) to land themselves in prison. But many of these people have also been working on improving themselves while incarcerated and are waiting for their shot to prove themselves. They have paid their debt to society and have reached a certain point to be released by the parole board.
Commonly known as reentrants, these former inmates crave purpose while surviving solely on hope. As the world evolves without them, the only things inmates want are the things we take for granted. They desire the stressors of a free citizen’s normal existence. They want to work, earn money, and provide for their loved ones. Getting through prison means not just dwelling in a cell but also keeping up the hope for a successful life outside of confinement. And while the days pass by in plenty, their desires only magnify.
By considering such adults for employment, not only are you offering them a chance to start over, but you’ll likely find that such workers will feel indebted to you and strive to provide you with loyal work.
Evaluating the Risks
It is understandable to be hesitant when deciding whether or not to hire people who just came out of prison. You’d be crazy if you didn’t feel hesitant. The only information you have about them when making hiring decisions is that they committed crimes serious enough to land in prison. But that’s really not a lot of information, and it also doesn’t paint a full picture of what kind of people they are today. How do you know if these potential hires are being completely truthful with you? How do you know that they have been rehabilitated? How do you know, for example, that it wasn’t a wrongful conviction? What safeguards are in place that would minimize the risk of hiring a reentrant? This article series can help answer some of these questions for you.
In order for an inmate to be eligible for release, he/she needs to show the parole board that he/she has a solid work ethic, community support in the family, somewhere to live, and reliable transportation to and from work. Inmates will not be paroled unless they have all of these things lined up ahead of their release date. Most prisons have correctional industrial jobs where inmates are put to work making license plates for state vehicles, soap plants for making shampoos and bars of soap that are used in the prisons as well as in state-operated halfway houses and homeless shelters, mechanic garages where they learn how to disassemble and reassemble buses and trucks, HVAC and plumbing trade schools, and printing shops for the manufacturing of envelopes, stencils and truck decals. If you don’t get a job in one of these shops, an inmate can spend his time working as a janitor, a hospice worker in the prison’s medical center, a kitchen worker, or as a groundskeeper. All of these jobs are demanding and physical. The adults coming out of prison have spent years or decades working in arduous and difficult trades. Success in these trades is rooted in consistency, integrity and earnest labor. So, while a reentrant might not be familiar with an increasingly changing world, he is certainly familiar with work. And that is what you can expect from reentrants: they are hard workers.
Employment Safeguards
There are safeguards in place that make it more acceptable for employers to hire felons. One of the more important safeguards is that he/she will be assigned to a parole officer who already knows everything about this person. The parole officer, or parole agent, knows where his parolees work, where they live, what belongings they have in their homes and what vehicles they drive.The officer is mandated to visit each parolee once or twice a month. He will also be in touch with each parolee’s employer (you) to make sure that everyone is on the same page and that the process of information flows smoothly. Essentially, you’ll have a direct line to law enforcement, who can respond to you at a moment’s notice, should you need it. If you hire multiple reentrant employees who live in the same area, the chances are that they will have the same agent, making for a simple relationship with the law enforcement that oversees them.
A second safeguard against hiring a reentrant who may still have felonious tendencies is to bond him through the Internal Revenue Service. IRS Form 8850, available on the IRS.gov website, allows employers to pre-screen potential employees who might qualify for a work opportunity credit (felons count for this) and bond them in order to protect business owners against potential thefts and damages. Fill one of these out for each reentrant you wish to hire, and you can be insured for up to $5,000 in the event of any theft or damage to your business.
As a second chance employer, you have opened up a world of possibility to adults who dare to hope. The opportunity that you can offer them will not only help to keep your community safe but also to give someone the dignity that accompanies hard work.
This article is designed to give you an introductory glimpse into what you can expect when becoming a second chance employer. In the next article of this series, you will read about what different characteristics to look for when deciding to hire a reentrant as an employee and what kind of program you can set up, both on your own and with local prisons, to begin hiring these adults.
Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a series about hiring second chance workers. Alex is an expert on this topic. He can be reached at alexanderbrengle@gmail.com.
