I was convicted of a non-contact sex offense in 2004. I downloaded files that I should not have. Since then, I have lost my job, my family, my freedom, and every ounce of self-respect I ever had.
I hadn’t seen my own kids in 6 years, until my older daughter moved back in with me. She committed suicide soon afterward.
I have sent out thousands of resumes and filled out as many job applications in the past six years, only to be told that, while my resume is impressive, their company has a blanket policy against hiring anyone with any kind of felony, no matter how long ago it happened. I have talked to many other ex-offenders who run into the same situation every day, wanting to resume being productive members of society and being blocked at every turn.
Then people wonder why ex-offenders end up back in jail–where else are they supposed to go? At least in jail one has shelter and three meals a day, such as they are. Your tax dollars are going to punish people, not to help those who are truly regretful of their past mistakes to rejoin society.
Don’t bother sending people with convictions to Careerlink; they have NO IDEA what to do! I was actually handed a phone book by one “career counselor” there and told to just start calling people. That was his idea of “job assistance”. Then he went back to checking his sports scores on his computer. I guess it’s good enough for government work.
If citizens want to help ease prison overcrowding, they need to demand that government officials spend as much money rehabilitating ex-offenders as they do convicting them in the first place. Once you get out of jail in Lancaster County, NO ONE CARES about what happens to you!!!!! They will just cluck their tongues and say, “gee, that’s too bad” and keep excluding you from any sort of job that you may seek, no matter what your qualifications are.
