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The Out and Employed blog has relocated to a new site.  You can now find the same mix of news, career advice and job resources for ex-offenders at  http://www.outandemployed.wordpress.com.  Hope to see you there.

The four types of felons

I was visiting the Fairfax County courthouse last week with my 14-year-old son's civics class.  One district court judge (who I won't name here because he was addressing the students) was very frank about the kind of offenders he sees in his courtroom. "I'd say only about 15 percent of the people who come before me are actual criminals," he said.  "The other 85 percent either have drug and alcohol problems, are mentally ill, or just made a very stupid mistake."

He then went on to point out that the most of the defendants he sees also have very little education, often not even finishing high school -- a not so subtle reminder to these kids about why they need continue with theirs.

His observations are pretty much in line with national findings. A third of all prisoners in state jails are serving a drug-related conviction, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Justice. Another study by the National Center for Addiction and Substance abuse notes that "drugs and alcohol are implicated in 78 percent of violent crimes, 83 percent of property crimes and 77 percent of other crimes.  In addition, CASA found that 65% of U.S. inmates meet the criteria for for substance abuse .

This also dovetails with what I've seen teaching  inmates.  In fact, when my students are explaining their felony convictions as part of interview practice, one of the most common explanations I hear is "at the time I committed my crime my judgment was clouded by drugs and alcohol."   I also see a lot of obvious mental health issues.  And sadly, I have on a few occasions witnessed a true criminal mindset.

The a reason I bring this up is that in order to put your past behind you it is critical that you know what kind of felon you are. Denial does nothing for you here. You've done your time, you might as well acknowledge why.  There is a difference between stealing money for the sheer thrill of it and doing something because you're not in your right mind.  You're responsible for both, of course.  But if you identify the cause you're more than likely to be able to identify the steps you need to take to put it behind you -- and to make sure you don't repeat it.

So ask yourself, what kind of felon are you?  What's the why behind your crime?  And what are you going to do about it?

Getting a job with a felony -- a success story

I have another class "graduating" today, which means the nervousness has been kicking in.  After weeks of evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, working on resumes and interview skills, many of my students are voicing doubts.  Who's going to hire me with a felony on my record?  Can someone with a criminal background really get a job in the "outside" world? 

The answer, of course, is yes, though it won't necessarily be easy.   That's one reason I'm giving each of them  a copy of the story that follows (and why I decided to excerpt it here.) This particular ex-offender, who lives in Texas, faced down similar fears.  She didn't have overnight success either, but she definitely has the right attitude. She also proves the adage that, if you're willing to put the work in and show that you've changed, it only takes one employer to give you a second chance. 

After 8 years of incarceration and a successful 20 months following my release, I'm still hanging in there and making things happen.  I hardly remember the person I was before, but every once in awhile I catch her riding by in a car or walking past me in the street.  I don't like that girl very much...In fact, I despise her, but I have to think of her from time to time so I won't forget where she was and how far she has progressed.  I actually like myself now...love myself, in fact.  Not a narcissistic type love, but a self respect I that I needed in order to become a productive member of society.

There are no specific answers to why I became a heroin addict, or why I committed the crimes I committed.  For the second and third years of my incarceration when I was finally toxin free and could think clearly, I tried to find a logical explanation for why a college-educated middle class American would become what I had become.  After a while of trying to figure it all out, I realized that I had to just push on.  I could waste the rest of my incarceration or I could make the best of it.  I promised myself that I would not serve an 8-year sentence in vain and that I would use every opportunity available to regain my life and my self-respect.

And hey, it worked!  I'm now employed as a research biologist in a government lab. It was a long shot since I had a violent crime and I was on parole, but I did it.  I knew there would be tons of scrutiny, but all they could tell me was no. "No" never killed anybody right? Don't think I walked right out the prison doors and walked into a swanky made-in-the-shade job. For the first 7 months I had to work landscaping and cutting grass to make ends meet.  I worked two jobs and sometimes 14 hour days, but I knew I couldn't give up.  Even after I got the lab job, I still worked a second job.  I prayed constantly and still do. I cried sometimes and still do.  I get snide comments and probably always will.  People doubt me and probably always will.

None of that matters...because I'm free and if I survived the humiliation of being a drug addict, a thief, a prisoner, a liar, a cheat...Then I can definitely survive and even thrive on the humility one can experience in being a simple, honest, hardworking person.  It's true... I don't drive the fanciest car or always have the money I want.  But I have what I need and it's enough to allow me to go to bed each night with a good conscience.  It's enough to remain free.  It's enough for me.

It's worth noting that this woman ends her story by saying that she thinks the length of her sentence was the key to her success because  it gave her the time she needed to really be willing to change. What do you think? What can you do, or did you do during your sentence to help turn your life around?

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Reality Check

There are fewer jobs available today than ten years ago, despite the fact that the labor market has grown by 11 million since then, says a new report by the Economic Policy Institute  What's more, the jobless rates for the  the poorest and least educated folks are the worst they've ever been.  In the last quarter of 2009, The Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston looked at labor conditions for different income groups in the U.S.

Household Income                       Unemployment rate

$150,000+                                            3.2
  
$100,000 - $149,999                           4

$12,500 to $20,000                             19.1

$12,499 or less                                     30.8

Apparently, the 30.8 percent rate is 5 percentage points higher than the overall jobless  rate during the Great Depression.  That's according to Bob Herbert who details these findings in the New York Times.

What's the takeaway from this?   Education is more important than ever.  A high school degree or GED alone is not going to be enough to get a job that you can hold onto.   New jobs - and even some old jobs will increasingly require additional knowledge and training.

Fortunately, as I've written before here, financing and grants for job training and education are available and only going to become more so, as more jobs disappear.  So don't automatically write off pursuing certification or a degree just because you're afraid you won't be able to pay for it.

Let's get rid of this ridiculous tax on the poor...

Just finished belatedly reading this NPR series on how so many jail inmates are in there because they can't afford bail.  Appalling story about how such men and women typically end up getting stiffer sentences in part because they're in jail so can't do anything positive like take courses or show evidence of turning their lives around to impact their sentences.

 More than a half-million inmates are sitting in America's jails — not because they're dangerous or a threat to society or because a judge thinks they will run. It's not even because they are guilty; they haven't been tried yet.

I have had a number students who have lost any stability they've had while languishing in jail -- jobs, places of residence, etc. Their lives are destroyed by the arrest even before a trial is completed.  What's worse, according to this article is that the cost of housing all these people is $9 billion a year.

I don't think it's being soft to suggest that people with petty or non-violent crimes and nowhere to go be spared the indignity of continued custody and perhaps a more punishing sentence because they don't have the financial means that wealthier people might.  Not to mention, it's stupid to spend all that money to incarcerate someone who might not even be convicted.  This is a really important story and it will be interesting to see if it spurs the change it should.

Readers, what do you think?

How do you know when you've changed?

I'm teaching the part of my course where we address the $64,000 question:  Have you ever been convicted of a felon?

It's the question that all ex-offenders fear.  The deal-breaker.  The interview-ender.

My counsel is that it doesn't have to be. Not if you answer it truthfully, take responsibility and explain how you're turned your life around.  It's the turning part that's difficult for many of my students.  How can you be sure that you've really made that internal change and you're not going to fall back into old patterns?

In a column in the Philadelphia City Paper, re-entry specialist Justina Fox says she can tell when an offender "is ready to move on."

She introduced the columnist to Rob, who used to burglar unsuspecting college students, but has now become a barber thanks to training he got in prison and she believes, truly changed his ways.   Here's what he has to say:

"I'm in the trust business," Rob says, "where you learn how to care about people. Maybe they don't get the best or sharpest haircut, but I give them honest and good service. When you forget about the money, that's when you'll make it. You live with that every moment of your life. There's not a moment that I can slip and lose consciousness of what I need to do. People will trust you if you trust yourself."

Wise words, I think.

How will you know when you've changed?  Or how did you know?

The hard truth about wages...

If you feel it's getting more difficult to find a decent paying job, you're not alone.   Earlier this month, I described how wages are declining and why this trend is  unlikely to reverse soon for CBS Moneywatch, and thought it might be worth sharing.

Some of the reaons are obvious.  The continuing recession and high unemployment mean employers have more candidates to choose from and less pressure to pay a premium to get them.  Businesses are also cutting hours, resulting in a record number of individuals earning part-time wages. 

Meanwhile,  industry and structural shifts are eliminating some jobs forever. There's a great piece here that outlines how this is happening.  What jobs are disappearing?  The loss of work in construction and manufacturing  may seem predictable, but others -- like the permanent elimination of many secretarial positions -- may surprise you.   Some of these declines, fewer spots in high-finance, for example, do affect the highly educated.  But most of the impact of eliminated jobs will be felt by low-skilled workers with less education. 

So what can you do?

1.  Be realistic.  A job for less than ideal salary is better than no job at all.  So resist turning down a decent position just because the salary isn't what you envisioned.  The goal is to get in the door and get that experience on your resume.  Remember, even in this environment, once you show what you can do employers have ways of finding extra money for people who bring value.

2. Know what you're worth.   Make sure you know the average wage for a position before heading into an interview.  That way you'll have a better sense if what you're being offered is the going rate. If it's not in the job ad, one very useful site is the Career Guide to Industries, put together by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It  allows you to look up salaries by industry and specific job and also provides information on future career prospects. There are also firms like salary.com, which can provide wage information for your local job market.  Just be aware that commercial sites often rely heavily on education and training firms for advertising revenue.  When you're looking up salaries, you'll want to make sure you click on " not interested" when a form comes up recommending an online program, so you don't get side-tracked from your search.

3. Learn what it takes to earn more.  Everyone knows that jobs requiring more education typically pay better.  But how much better?  And what additional training or credentials do you need to qualify for a pay boost.   For this, you might want to check out ONET , another government-run site that provides information on the jobs, salaries and the skills and experience you need for different positions.  You can plug in your skills to see the positions for which you qualify.  You can also see what additional education or skills you might need to acquire.  And as I've noted before, don't write off getting additional training for financial reasons or because of your record.  There are plenty of grants and financing options that are suitable for individuals of all ages, and most felonies will not disqualify you.  There may be no better time to invest in your skills and you could reap a payoff later.

Another reason to be honest about your record...

Apparently, some people are using Twitter to spread word about  individuals who are arrested, according to Matt Kelley's blog.   In fact,  Montgomery County, Texas District Attorney Brett Ligon recently started tweeting all of his DUI arrests (including names and case numbers).

Tweets,  for the uninitiated,  are those short messages that people can send from their computers, blackberrys and cell phones and broadcast instantaneously to anyone who is following them.  The argument these new "offense tweeters" are using is that this they're merely passing along information that is already public in the daily police blotter.

I'm not so sure how I feel about this.  I'm all for living in an open society where information is disseminated freely.  On the other hand, an arrest obviously doesn't mean conviction -- and there's potential here to hurt an even greater number of reputations before a case has been adjudicated.  Plus, these messages don't go away. Instead, they may live on in the Internet even long after a case has been dismissed.  I've already written about how such information presents difficulties for individuals who have had their records expunged.

Bottom-line for ex-offenders:  Be honest about your background.  I don't know how this Twitter issue will be resolved, but it's just one more reminder that arrest information is out there and more available than it's ever been.  All the more reason to be upfront in a job interview and not take chances.

Resolutions, anyone?

 What better time for a fresh start than the New Year, right?  Personally,  I go back and forth on that one (too much pressure .... too trendy .... too tempted by that last piece of pie in the fridge....), but hopefully, you're more motivated.

In fact, nearly half of American adults make formal New Years resolutions annually -- and about 1 in 5 succeed. If you consider there are about 217 million people over 18 in the U.S., that means 21 million can expect to achieve their goals.

What's their secret?  I think this CNN story does a good job in laying out the how-to's for making workable resolutions without setting yourself up for failure.  I particularly like the recommendation to find a "resolution buddy" (remember, accountability and support are critical) and the emphasis on examining some of the deeper issues that may be getting you stuck.

If you're an ex-offender trying to turn your life around, you might have caught my earlier goal-setting tips for people who hate to plan.  In addition, here  are some other suggestions for getting  a fresh start in 2010.

1. Set limits.  It's tempting to draw up a list of everything you'd like to change to completely tranform your life.  We'd all like to snap our fingers and be thinner, richer and happier, not to mention better parents, sons and daughters who are living rewarding and productive lives. Forever. But that's unlikely to happen.  If you'd like to write down  all these hopes for inspiration, that's great, but it's not a workable list of resolutions.  A better approach is to focus on one or two things -- three, at the absolute most, that you can break down into simple measureable steps. Otherwise you're just engaging in unrealistic and grandiose thinking.  For someone with a criminal past that spells danger, and ultimately disappointment when things don't change quickly and easily. 

2. Plan for slip-ups.  This isn't self-defeatng, it's just smart.  In order to change the way you do things, you have to change your thinking.  That means resisting the fanciful idea that everything is under your control and you can instantly get what you want.  Afterall, this is often the attitude that got you in trouble to begin with.  Instead, you need to anticipate not only the obstacles you might face in trying to reach your goals, but your likely reaction to them and what strategies might help you ge back on track.  

A document like this change plan worksheet can be a useful way of doing this.  Note, there's room here to write down both  the reasons you want to change and the likely outcomes if you don't.  For example, say your goal is finding a job.  In addition to meeting the conditions of your probation, another reason you probably want to work is to support yourself. You also know that when you're not doing something productive you become depressed and you risk returning to old behaviors.  Under likely outcomes if you don't succeed?  Re-offending and ending up back in jail.  If you have this all spelled out, you can come back to it when you find yourself wavering to remind yourself why you need to change.

 3.  Be honest with yourself.  This part is tricky.  You don't want to beat yourself up when you slip.  At the same time you have to take care that you're honest with yourself about your progress. NO exceptions.   If you're giving up drinking and you decide to have a beer one afternoon, you have slipped up and are no longer working toward your goals.  You need to acknowledge this, as excusing it can cause you to abandon all efforts to be responsible. In his seminal work, "Inside the Criminal Mind," psychiatrist Stanton Samenow described how his colleague, the late Samuel Yochelson used to tell the ex-offenders he worked with that they had to approach everything in their life with total integrity.  "No lie is too small," Yochelson was fond of saying.  He also believed that fear and guilt were not only effective but necessary motivators for change.

4.   But allow go-backs.  Everyone's got  that one regret.  Someone offered a helping hand when you first got out, but you were too busy dealing with family issues to take them up on it.  Or you were feeling bad on the day a friend scheduled an interview and you didn't show up.  Or you didn't take advantage of re-entry assistance right away and now you're afraid it's too late to ask for it.  While it's true that people are most eager to help you at the beginning and you shouldn't let them down, don't be afraid to go back and ask for a second chance. It is a new year, afterall.   Just be honest about why.  That you weren't focused when you got out, or that you were afraid you didn't have enough experience so you backed out of the interview.  True, you may not get another chance, but at least you've followed up and been accountable for your actions.  And in the best case, it might not be too late.  People may be impressed with your truthfulness and your humility. Jason Hunter, a caseworker with the Virginia Department of Rehabilitation says he wished more of his clients would follow-up.  "If they'd just put in the effort, they'd be surprised at how much we're willing to help them," he says.

5.  Believe in yourself.  It's a trite, but it must be said.  You've got to believe in yourself or no one will. And I'm not talking about the belief in the sense that you have a huge ego and an even bigger sense of entitlement.  Rather I mean that quiet, steady belief that if you pursue your goals, step by individual step, you can achieve them.  It may take awhile, probably longer than you like, but you  can change if you're commit yourself and follow-thru.

I think this quote sums it up nicely:

"A New Year isn't just a blank canvas that you throw all your hopes and happiness at, only to trash it later when the picture didn't come out as expected. A New Year is 52-week job, that will reward those who to work at making those hopes and happiness a reality each and every day."

Here's wishing you a productive and successful 2010!