We All Deserve Second Chances

1. The nature, number and circumstances of the offenses for which the individual was convicted;
2. The length of time intervening between the conviction for the offense(s) and the employment decision;
3. The individual’s employment history; and
4. The individual’s efforts at rehabilitation.

However, most employers ignore these policies.

It is a disability that I can not collect government funds for. How am I supposed to survive? Employers do not want to give a convicted person a second chance. I would think that an employer would be more likely to consider a convicted person for an employment opportunity knowing that he/she has to re-establish a good reputation and would most likely not continue to repeat the same lifestyle. Most convicted people if given a second chance would turn out to be an asset to an employer and become a top employee.

In addition there are incentives that are put in place for employers who would consider hiring an ex-offender. Programs like the “Federal Bonding Program”. This program provides fidelity bonding insurance coverage to individuals with criminal histories and other high-risk job applicants who are qualified, but fail to get jobs because regular commercial bonding is denied due to their backgrounds. Another incentive is the “Work Opportunity Tax Credit” (WOTC) is a federal tax credit to reduce the federal tax liability of private for profit employers to be used as an incentive for employers to hire individuals from eight different targeted groups: TANF recipients, veterans, ex-felons, high risk youth, summer youth, Food Stamp recipients, SSI recipients, and vocational rehabilitation referrals. I am not sure if most employers are even aware of these Incentives or if employers just ignore them.

There are allegedly many organizations that claim to assist people with my background. However, these organizations are either not evident or they run you around until you decide to give up. Most of the individuals that work for these organizations seem to not want to be bothered themselves. I am not looking for any handouts nor do I wish to revert back into a life of unlawful acts, which is not an option for me. All I want is an equal opportunity to employment. Is that too much to ask? Where do I go from here? In anticipation of a long undeserving journey that I Pray will conclude with a meaningful employment opportunity. I will not give up.