How ex-offenders can beat a bad economy

   With six unemployed workers competing for every job opening in the U.S. right now,  ex-offenders are having an even harder time finding work. But as some employment experts reminded me recently, that's no excuse for giving up.  In fact, while you can't control the economy, there are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of getting that one employer to look beyond your record -- even in this market:

Manage your expectations. More applicants mean employers can be pickier and go for the cream of the crop. Yet  ex-offenders are still finding jobs, notes Marsha Enkerud, a manager with SkillsSource Employment Centers in Fairfax County, VA. "It's tough, but it's always tough," she adds, "the bigger problem is that the available jobs are not always jobs people want to take."  So instead of setting yourself up for disappointment, you have to come to terms with the fact that there will be some  jobs you can't get.  You may have to scale back your expectations about what  you "deserve" and think in simpler terms.  You need an income, you need a job that you can go out and do every day so you feel good about yourself, says Nathaniel Harris, job developer who works with ex-offenders at OAR Fairfax where I volunteer. "Even if you're flipping burgers, you're networking," he says.  "If  the manager likes what you're doing you never know where that will lead." 

Ask for help.  This isn't being weak, it's being smart. I've written before about the variety of resources out there that assist ex-offenders in getting back on their feet. The time to take advantage of this help is immediately upon your release, if not sooner. A good place to start is the National Hire Network, which  lists useful agencies and services by state. You'll be surprised how many people are willing to give you a hand, provided you're sincere about wanting to change. Organizations such as OAR often have intensive workshops as well as caseworkers who will help you with job search preparation. They can also usually assist with housing, regaining licenses and identification and referrals for other services you might need.

Do the hard work.   People will gladly give you guidance and information, but they won't hold your hand and do everything for you. They'll also lose patience quickly if you don't follow through.  If you don't show up on time and properly dressed for a work skills seminar, for example,  your caseworker is going to assume you'd do the same thing at a real job interview and be less likely to send you out to see an employer.  You have to make your job search your priority, which means coming up with a plan, contacting employers and keeping appointments.  You're not going to find work sitting home watching soap operas and dreaming of the better life. You've got to get busy.

Build for the future.   Criminal thinking is about the here and now, the need for  immediate gratification and immediate results.  To break that cycle, says Harris, you  have to start thinking a little bit in the future.  How can you make yourself more marketable?  Are there education or training opportunities you should consider to try to level out the disparity between the risk and barriers you might present to an employer vs. someone who doesn't have a record? What skills and experience can you get in one job that might lead to another position?  You can reach your goals, but you need to do it one step at a time.

Think small.   Even if you worked for a large organization in the past, it's better to focus on smaller firms, according to re-entry experts.  Smaller companies often have less formal hiring processes, they're also less likely to do the  background and credit checks that might immediately disqualify someone convicted of a felony; particularly in this economy.  You're also more likely to have a chance to make your case -- and a personal connection --  with at a small, privately-owned business, where the owner makes the hiring decisions.

Give yourself time.  Finding a job is going to take discipline and persistence. It will also take  time. The average job search now takes about 5 months according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can't expect everything to fall in place the first month you're out -- particularly when even people with advanced degrees and no criminal record are having a hard time. So set up a routine that you can keep at for awhile.  Then work to  develop your  support network and use it.  Follow up on job openings, see your employment counselor and remember  it's a numbers game. Keep at it long enough and the payoff will come.

How about you?  Any other tips on what has worked in your job search?  I'd love to hear them.

Statute of depravations

This blog is about helping people rebuild their lives after they've done their time.  So apologies as I digress into a mini-rant about someone who's yet to do his -- and probably won't if his friends have their way.  I'm talking about all the hand wringing over Roman Polanski , which btw is making me nuts!

I mean what's the controversy again?  Here's a guy who plead guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl (note not  a 17-year-old who passed for 20) and then went on the lam for 31 years.  And now we're supposed to be up in arms that the Swiss have him and he might be extradited back to the U.S. for an "old" crime?  Or as others would have you believe, a non-crime. Please!  The idea that fellow directors like Scorsese and Woody I-Married-My-Adopted-Daughter Allen -- forget the French --  are supporting this guy would be laughable if statuatory rape weren't taken so seriously when someone not deemed a "great  auteur" commits it.

I don't know Mr. Polanski personally, but I think we can all agree that even good people make mistakes.  Talent doesn't stop us from doing bad things, unfortunately.  Nor should it excuse responsibility for them.  At least that's what other lawbreakers are told when they're forced to pay for their crimes.  Seems like it's high time for a certain director to man up, doesn't it?

What women want

                

Do women have a harder time rebuilding their lives after incarceration?  I've been wondering about this a lot lately.  Although I've taught both men and women, for the past several months I've been working primarily  with females -- and the myriad  issues these women face upon release is daunting.  Now before all you guys get on me for being sexist, I'm not saying male ex-offenders don't have it tough too.  Everybody who takes the course I teach  wants and needs to find a job, which isn't easy. But in my women's classes I've also had three students give birth while serving out their terms. Female offenders are more apt  to be single parents or sole-caregivers for children under 18.  They're also more likely than their male counterparts to have been abused, have problems with drug or  alchohol and suffer from mental illness, according to a National Justice Institute study.  On top of that women felons typically have fewer job skills and less work experience. 

Over at Prisontalk.com,  one of the best online communities out there for ex-offenders in terms of real life feedback,  there's a even a running discussion that addresses this topic.  As one poster put it: "Since men can do labor intensive jobs and most of these jobs are a little more forgiving when it comes to having a criminal history, they get more jobs. Most women work in a more structured environment, this tends to mean more corporate jobs, and they are much less forgiving of a criminal history. Unfortunately women are judged much harsher then men. It’s almost like a macho thing, real men are supposed to be bad get into trouble but not women. There are double standards."

So what does all this mean if you're a women trying to turn your life around?  Basically, that you're going to need to be even better prepared than a man  might be.  A 2002 report by the Safer Foundation came up with recommendations to improve the reentry process for women, but in the meantime there is still plenty you can do on your own, including:

1. Get  help early.   Ideally start when you're inside.  Take advantage of whatever educational opportunities you're offered.  Complete your GED.  Take classes. As strange as it sounds, a prison or jail-term often represents the first time some women have been  forced to focus just on themselves.  Use your lack of other responsibilities to work on improving  you.
2. Start building or rebuilding your support network now.  Keep in touch with people who offer positive reinforcement.  For one woman I worked with this was an old  friend who sent her inspirational sayings and a cellmate equally determined to change her life.  Get a mentor to help you get on track to realize future goals, or seek out someone from the prison ministry.  After your release be similarly selective in the company you keep.
3. Get your documents in order.  If you have family/attorney might be able to help you get started.  If not,  reentry and other community organizations are there to help you complete the process of gettting back licenses or helping start the paperwork to regain custody of your children once you've been released.
4. Get the treatment you need.  If you have substance abuse or mental health issues now is the time to deal with them.  As one former offender who got a job and went on to start her own business put it: " This should be your first priority. Period! If you have an addiction, get help. Nothing will screw up your future success faster than dope. If you go to work stoned, drunk or flying someone will notice. Bank on it!"
5. Take advantage of re-entry resources right away.  Many of these organizations require you to report within 24 hours of getting out in order to qualify for benefits such as job assistance and housing assistance, and other types of transitional help.
6. Be patient with yourself.  Women ex-offenders often must contend with everything from reestablishing a home and family life and ending destructive relationships to finding affordable housing, a job and a way to live.  And they must often do this while resisting falling back into addiction or bad habits and making sure they meet the obligations of their parole.  It's a tall order and there will be good and bad days.  Give yourself time as well a  permission not to be perfect.

Why training is still the answer for many ex-offenders

I was recently talking to a guy who'd served five years in state prison.  He'd been considering taking some computer courses after his release -- maybe even working towards an associate's degree -- but was afraid he'd be wasting his time. "They say get training, get more education," he said. "Then I hear from friends who've done this stuff and they still can't get jobs because nobody wants to hire someone with a record."

It's easy to get discouraged  -- particularly these days. Jobs keep disappearing and even college grads and seasoned professionals are struggling to find work. Factor in a felony conviction and it can seem like you've stepped up to the plate with three strikes already against you. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do everything you can to improve your chances. And while getting trained in new skills or going back to school won't guarantee you a job, here are 5 reasons it still might be your best strategy:

1. You'll make more money over the long term. People who have more education generally earn higher salaries and are less likely to be unemployed . According to the Department of Labor, the average weekly salary for a high school graduate is $595, compared to $721 if you have an associate's degree and $962 for 4-year college graduates -- and that's before this recession. Additionally, the unemployment rate for high school graduates is twice as high as the rate for college grads. With most new jobs requiring higher skill levels that gap is likely to grow even larger.

2. It's is a terrific way to start fresh. Every course or training session you sign up for marks a new beginning by virtue of the fact that you're there to learn something. Whether you're hoping to develop a new area of expertise or upgrade the skills you have, seeking out education demonstrates initiative, as well as a willingness to grow and change - key traits all employers look for. The classroom can also be more forgiving than the workplace when you're trying to get back in the groove. There are usually no barriers to entry and your performance is measured by what you do in the course, not what came before.

3. Classes may be more affordable than you think. As in free, in many cases. Your local One-Stop Career Centers regularly host ESL, basic skills and GED classes at no cost. You should also check with your state's department of rehabilitative services. These agencies often have subsidized courses in everything from computer repair to office administration and health care for people with mental or physical disabilities. In terms of technical schools and colleges, the Prisoner Reentry Institute published a great report last year that details educational opportunities, their costs and funding possibilities. If you're interested in pursuing a college degree you can qualify for the same loans as any other student, plus for Pell grants of up to $5,350 a year as long as you haven't had a drug conviction. And among the scholarships without those limitations is the recently announced Strive and Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation Scholarship, which is to be awared annually to an ex-offender who was convicted under New York's Rockefeller drug laws and wants to earn an arts degree.

4. Training can lead to contacts with potential employers, work experience and even jobs. Apprenticeship programs allow you to earn as you learn a trade such as plumbing welding or even something in the emerging industries like IT, energy or telecommunications. You can check out some of those opportunities here and here. Programs at community or technical colleges in fields such as dental hygiene or health care also require you to work in the field while earning your degree. Degrees at four-year colleges tend to be more subject-oriented than job specific, but internships are now standard practice. These experiences tend to be unpaid -- though they still provide opportunities to make the personal connections in your industry that could allow a potential employer to see around the record to the motivated and hardworking individual you are right now.

5. It's the only way to keep up with the competition. Even people who have been working steadily for 25 years now realize that to survive in today's workplace you have to be constantly learning. While you've been serving your sentence, everyone from grocery store clerks and healthcare workers to truck drivers and office administrators have been coming to grips with new technologies and new ways of communicating and doing business. Low-skilled, but high paying manufacturing jobs that you used to be able to get out of high school are disappearing. Instead, laid-off workers are referred to retraining programs so they too, can find a marketable skill. If you want to be able to compete for jobs in this market you have to keep learning. It's that simple.

In a future post, 'll talk more about choosing the right program for you. In the meantime, another useful site to start investigating opportunities in your area is the The National Hire Network, which lists re-entry resources by state.

Not just for kids

I finally had a moment to look at the "controversial" speech President Obama made to returning students. Scary stuff? Not exactly. Timeless would be more like it. What struck me is how much of what he said could be really useful for adults too. In fact, I wish I could tatoo some of these excerpts (with my comments in bold) on the hearts and minds of all the former offenders I work with, because well, take a look for yourself:

I want to start with the responsibility you have for yourself . Every one of you has something you're good at. Every one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourselves to discover what it is. (YES!)

Where you are right now doesn't determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Here in America you write your own destiny. You make your own future. (Now believe it!)
Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowlings first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over in my life. And that is why I succeed." (See?)
These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you -- you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave.... (Hear, hear!)

And while we're on the subject of school, word just in that authorities in Virginia have reversed their ban on books for prisoners.  Another big YEAH! Check it out in tomorrow's Post.

Where books are scary

Believe it or not, one of the places is Virginia, which recently instituted  a ban the books campaign in all state correctional facilities.

Yes, it sounded a little crazy to me too.  But apparently a free program that's been providing prisoners with something to read for the past two decades has become too dangerous for VA authorities. And too much work. Or so the Quest Institute, a non-profit that runs "Books Behind Bars," was told last month by prison officials. While declining to provide details, VA DOC spokesman Larry Traylor told the Washington Post, there were growing concerns that someone could smuggle "contraband to a prisoner by secreting it in a book." Think Andy Dufresne's rock hammer (above) in the Shawshank Redemption. Except, oops - that was actually brought in with the laundry by another inmate. Dufresne only hid his escape tool in the Bible after he was back in his cell.

In the case of the prison book program, the folks at Quest think it was a stray paper clip and CD that accidentally made it into a Virginia shipment. Not a good thing, certainly, but not a rock hammer, either. I'm all for security concerns and safety - but inmates quietly reading vs. bored felons gossiping, gangbanging or worse? Who would you rather supervise? Or see released in the near future? Even in Virginia -- a state known for making prisoners as uncomfortable as possible -- passing out books seems less pampering than common sense, particularly when the most frequently requested volumes are the dictionary, the Bible and the Koran. Coming on top of last year's discontinuation of college courses in some facilities, this new ban is just silly, not to mention counter-productive.

Now I know many correctional facilities still have their own small libraries. I also know the pickings can be slim. One of my students recently requested a thesaurus because she wanted to build up her vocabulary for job interviews. There wasn't one in the library so the librarian shared her own, which unfortunately dated back to WW II. A sympathetic guard ultimately printed out a Word-of-the-Day from her computer and gave it to the inmate. Don't we want to encourage offenders like her who want to educate themselves and hopefully finish their terms more focused and able to get a job?  Particularly when it costs us nothing?

What's been your experience? Anyone benefit from reading while incarcerated? What books meant a lot to you?

The new reality

The Washington Post is the latest U.S. media outlet to weigh in on how much tougher it is for ex-offenders to find jobs in this economic climate. In the DC area, in fact, employment figures for former felons are the worst they've ever been.

Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any short-term fixes to this problem. For about the last six-months I've been adapting my class to reflect these new realities.. More than ever, I emphasize getting a job, any job, to build a record of employment. When one student recently told me there were some jobs she just couldn't do, like working at McDonald's, one of her classmates was quick to point out - rightly- that she would probably have a hard time finding one there right now.

This might seem pretty obvious, but don't be surprised if you feel a disconnect when you get out -- particularly if you began serving a sentence more than two years ago. Even with his family members telling him how bleak things were, one former construction manager who took my class couldn't believe how difficult it was to find something. He's now working part-time at a restaurant, but fears his hours may be cut back even further since fewer people are eating out.

The silver lining to all this gloom: A sea change in American attitudes means there's no shame in any job you take now. If nothing else, with money no longer free, the value of actual work -- any work -- seems to have come back into style. Particularly with the right attitude, as these stories illustrate.