Sean
I would be very intersted to see how things have panned out for you since you wrote this and were working on your degree. I do agree that it is not up to all of the people to pay for te second chance of ex-felons. However given the way communities and society seems to handle or make it able for ex-felons to be able to get a good job and move on with thier lives getting a second chance is not as easy as you seem to be making it to be.
Now before you start on your how do you know let me explain. I to have been convicted of felonies two of them. It has been twelve years since the last one thirteen years since the first one. Since then I have volunteered with youth organizations helping children stay off of the streets even headed it up. I have spoken at schools on drugs, gangs, violence, jail, and consequences of the choices we make. I have certification as a Personal Trainer, a diploma in Carpentry, and am now working on a degree as a substance abuse counselor. I am married and have children. I have had four jobs at one time since these convictions. So I do agree that a person can get a job with a felony conviction and agree Jerome needs to get off his butt and get a job he has no excuse for not being able to get any job. That brings me to why I am curious as to how things have gone since getting your degree. With everything I have done to improve myself and earn a second chance everything listed above and more. I cannot move ahead with my life. I am still going to school only because I have been changing majors and having to go back because I cannot get a quality job that can become a career. I cannot get anything that will pay decent or that will allow for me to not have to hold numerous jobs to pay my expenses.
With that being said it is a large reason why you have so many repeat offenders. we live in a society that says you can make a mistake and move on from it getting a second chance. this is what the thought is but the reality is something different. You are stating that Obama wants the taxpayers to pay for this I am not saying this is right or wrong but where is the benifit of taxpayers paying to jail the same person over and over because no matter what he does how hard he tries to prove himself and better himself or educate himself he cannot get that second chance. where is it any different for them to be paying to jail the same person who cannot get a job to support his family. When they could pay for programs that help to rehabilitat them and have them become better more productive people in their community and society.
Again I am not stating if I agree or disagree if people should have to pay or not but I do think that they need to consider that many repeat offenders do so because they cannot get that second chance. Do I think that all of them have truely rehabilitated no, but what about the ones who really do that have put it in black and white and have tried to get that chance and cannot. Are we helping them to become better people and promoting for them to continue on the right path along with everyone else. Or are we saying tough luck no matter what you do or how long you try you will never stop being haunted by that mistake you made at an age argued if we really are matured and you may as well stop trying and continue to be a criminal since that is all society will ever see you as.
Maybe this has become a rant out of my own frustration. If it sounds like I am just whinning or complaining I apologize it is not my intent. I have worked hard and still am working hard to get that second chance. Either way thier needs to be a standard or point that a person can move on from a mistake and make a life. When has a person truly paid their debt for their mistake and is considered rehabilitationed and deserving. Please let me know how things have panned out for you since getting your degree and if it had the effect you thought it would on changing how people looked at you when applying for a job.

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Professor Charney
hi, for a minute I thought you where coming to fustigate my ENGLISH.
I thank you for the good advices, of a misdemeanor is not required to be expose in another STATE
when one is seeking to be employed, as long as it was paid for with the sentence applied, very good to know, for those who want to move out of their STATE TO BE LUCKY IN ANOTHER STATE,
BYE

v

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Good evening everyone. I am a professor at a state university and I instruct an English course that is geared toward business students. I was in class a few months ago and lecturing on the topic of resumes. I expressed the simple fact that when a potential employer gets to the end of your resume, he or she is sold on granting you an interview unless you have a criminal record. After class, a student of mine came up to me and was worried. He explained to me that he had been convicted of several misdemeanors when he was a teenager (but an adult). These convictions included simple assault, possession of marijuana, possession of alcohol, and DUI. I was shocked that such a nice student had been convicted of simple assault. He claimed that these convictions occurred over five years ago. I didn’t have any information to give to him because I thought that what I said earlier in class was true. I consulted with several of my colleagues, including a lawyer and a former human resources screening manager. The lawyer, Professor Scott, claimed that if you have been convicted of a crime in one state, you don’t have to check off the box on the application that you have been convicted of a crime if you apply to a position of employment in another state. The former human resources manager, Professor Cabral, claimed that even if you submit a resume and cover letter, you could potentially have to submit an application that further asks the question: “Have you been convicted of a crime?”

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MichaelSchwartz

hi,

you bring so much knowledge here,  we cannot afford to not read you every time you come, what if it tell me that a program intensively focus on self discipline focusing each FELONS  AMERICAN RESPONSIBILITY TOWARD THE MOTHER LAND WHICH AMERICA SO LOVINGLY HAVE REPRESENTED FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE TIME

WHEN THE FATHERS OF THE LANDS WROTE THE CONSTITUTION, THE BILL OF RIGHT AND THE COMMERCE  CLAUSE,  HOW important for them to be aware of the fact they are representing the future of this PROUD NATION OF WARRIORS FIGHTING AND BEING HURT SO BAD AND SPILLING BLOOD FOR THE FREEDOM THEY HAVE, AND LOST ON A MOMENT OF NEGATIVE JUDGEMENT DECISION MAKING,, AND   because of that unique for many failure on their responsibility toward AMERICA, THEY MUST RE IMMERSE IN THAT SPECIFIC PROGRAM RE ESTABLISHING WHERE THEY FIT IN AS FUTURE ENABLERS OF THIS COUNTRY, NOW IN PERIL OF LOOSING THE FREEDOM THEIR FATHERS LIVED IN THE QUEST TO BE BETTER, IN THE QUEST TO GET HIGHER WITH THE GIFT THEY HAVE EACH IN THEIR DNA,,

THE YOUNG FELON  MUST BE IMMERSE IN THE DREAM OF WHAT AMERICA EXCEL SINCE ALL THE CENTURIES,,

BECAUSE THEY WILL BE IMPORTANT IN RETURNING AMERICA TO HER FOUNDER’S DREAMS SO FULL OF WISDOM AND CREATIVITY GIVEN TO ALL FREE TO BECOME REALITY. FOR EACH AMERICAN.,

SOME IN POWER NOW HAVE TRIED TO TAKE IT AWAY BUT THIS IS TO BE RELEGATE IN THE PAST SOON, AND THE NEW PERSON WHO WILL BE VOTED IN THAT POWER TO SERVE ALL AMERICANS REGARDLESS OF ANY LABELS WHATH SOEVER, WILL NEED ALL THE PEOPLE TO HELP IN RESTAURING THOSES VALUES.

BYE

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A long way to go. Every year, approximately 650,000 people nationally return home to communities after serving state prison sentences. What happens to them is of importance to policymakers and law enforcement agencies, but mostly to those of us who will be their new neighbors. To begin a dialogue about prisoner re-entry, it is useful to survey what we know. And while we know a lot, there is still a lot to learn. Sadly, the majority of those released from prison will be rearrested within three years. And a quarter of them will be back in prison for a new crime. One should not forget this fact, nor the associated damage to communities that these statistics represent. This does not mean, however, that “once a crook, always a crook.” In fact, almost everyone who engages in crime stops at some point. People tend to drift in and out of crime. People go through periods where they are committing no crime at all, then relapse back into old behavior. Research has shown that changes are often tied to drug use. Not many people re-enter the community actively committing crimes or using drugs. They might do so the day they get out, but they walk out the prison door crime-free. The trick is encouraging them to stay that way. Consider the age distribution of crime. Most of those arrested are under 30 years old. As people move out of their crime-prone years, new people enter their volatile teens and 20s. Someone might be arrested numerous times during those years, then become law-abiding as he gets older. This leads to the conclusion that desistence is the norm. Understanding this is important, because facilitating desistence upon community re-entry encourages a normal activity. What leads people to desist from committing crime has been the subject of much research and debate in recent years. Some things are known. People who find meaningful employment or relationships after release from prison are less likely to reoffend than those who do not. Those who complete college programs or certain types of drug treatment while in prison are less likely to reoffend. And those who are involved in educational programs after release are less likely to reoffend. It appears that engagement in social activity is of vital importance. It is not simply having a job, being married or attending a program that leads to success upon community re-entry. Scholars disagree on the exact process, but increasingly focus on changes in people’s identities as they become part of social functions. Having a meaningful job can lead to adapting to being a carpenter, driver, salesperson or manager, just as becoming involved in lasting relationships or parenthood can lead to identifying as a husband, wife, father or mother. While these changes may seem routine to most people, those coming out of prison wear the label of convict, criminal, drug addict or worse. Before people will stop committing crimes, they have to stop thinking of themselves as criminals. The problem with negative labels is that, no matter how well deserved, they make it difficult to obtain those roles that lead to new identities. Nor can we force people into them. We cannot sentence people to marriage, nor force private employers to hire ex-offenders. Some have suggested that employment, relationships and the like can be viewed as “hooks for change” in the community. According to professor Peggy Giordano and her colleagues, four things are required for a hook to be effective. they must be available. There must be jobs, educational opportunities or spouses in the community to alter inmates’ lives. Second, the person must desire the hook. some people do not wish to work or find relationships, and some are not ready to attempt change. Third, the person must be able to acquire the hook. If people are unable to do jobs, or are unattractive as spouses, they do not do much good. Finally, once a hook is acquired, it must be seen as life-changing. A part-time or temporary job, while useful, is not likely to change someone’s perception of himself from drug dealer to working person. But a job in an electrician’s shop might lead to someone to start thinking like an electrician. Unfortunately, being a convicted felon makes it difficult to obtain employment, and being freshly released from prison does not make one prime material for long-lasting relationships. Those re-entering the community from prison are exactly the type of people who do not have access to identity-changing situations. But knowing something about the process is a start. It may not be that jobs and strong relationships lead to less crime, but rather that people who reduce their involvement in crime are more likely to become involved with jobs and relationships. Research to date is mixed. At a certain level it should not matter. Encouraging people to find employment, continue education and maintain healthy relationships should be a social goal anyway. Another area that is not well understood is why some people change and desist sooner than others. Some people stop offending in their teens, while others continue into middle age. Determining what causes some people to desist after one prison term and others after five might facilitate re-entry processes that encourage change. Some programs attempt to pull people away from crime through treatment programs, job placement and transitional housing. Other programs attempt to push people away from crime. These include law enforcement efforts, corrections, parole and probation services. These programs are designed to make the cost of crime higher. It is unreasonable to assume that people will seek new identities unless we make their current behavior problematic. It is best to think of treatment and law enforcement as opposite sides of the coin.

Arrest distribution by age: Under 15: 5% / 15-19: 20% / 20-24: 21% / 25-29: 14% / 30-34: 10% / 35-39: 9% / 40-44: 8% / 45-49: 7% / 50-54: 4% / 55-59: 2% / 60-64: 1%

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CHeck out this story and share of a 2nd Chance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvllBHEfuM0&feature=autoshare

David

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MitchaelSwartz

hi,

thank’s for coming again with more info,

I would like to mentIon about the problem they have after they are on their own, as oppose to those in prison

or on parole, and those who are with community help,  these here seems to me are on their own looking for jobs which are denied to them because of the branding they have so easy to find by the web even goes in many years back which should and not have been erase , which is their problem for this time most blocking their chances for a good jobs,

now how come this obvious fact hurting so many young proud AMERICANS WHICH HAVE PAID FOR THEIR MISTAKES AND ARE NOT PERVERTS OR DANGEROUS TO SOCIETY, this problem still exist, THERE SHOULD BE A BAN FROM THE SOURCES AND COMPANIES AND OTHER BUSYNESS TO FIND THOSE BRAND MARKS ON THEM,

IN ORDER TO ALL THOSE  MILLIONS OF YOUNG WHICH HAVE DONE THEIR STUPID THINGS AND GREW OUT OF IT BY RECOGNIZING THE ERROR PLUS PAID FOR IT, THEY ARE NOT HELP AS WE READ ONCE THEY ARE ON THEIR OWN,  THIS IS WHAT MOST HERE ARE SAYING,  IS THERE A WAY TO FIX THEIR DEMAND  SPECIFICLY

BYE,

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Second chances don’t come cheap. In his State of the Union Address, President said “America is the land of second chances, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.” A year later, Congressman Danny Davis and Sen. Sam Brownback authored the Second Chance Act to allocate more than $100 million for prisoner re-entry programs across the nation. Most prisons have pre-release programs. Certain awards are given to these prisons such as the Presidential Points of Light award. These programs are designed to equip offenders with concepts they can use to maintain control over their lives and behavior. Topics go from employment and personal finances to parenting and conflict resolution. More recently, the My Brother’s Keeper mentoring program offers offenders support beginning in the prison and continuing into the community. There has been similar mentoring at women’s institutions for more than 20 years. However, re-entry is about much more than prison programming. Our nation has a daily incarcerated population of more than a million inmates. Approximately 4 million offenders are admitted and 4 million released each year to our communities. The majority of those will be in legal trouble within three years. The cost to operate the new spaces for inmates will dwarf its construction. Prison experts estimate operating expenses double capital costs every four years. These estimates do not include the other costs of criminal justice. They do not include the costs to victims and their families. We cannot afford not to implement re-entry programs, but must be strategic with taxpayers’ money. We must measure every program funded against the benchmark of success. We must be willing to scrap programs that do not measure up and move money to other projects. And we must be prepared to admit government does not always have a solution. Communities must be invested in ex-offenders’ success. Who are you offenders that ultimately have returned to communities? On average, you have a sixth-grade education. Most have a substance problem or committed a drug-related crime. Most neglected your health before coming to prison. You have little or no job training and have not held a job for any appreciable time. Some come from households in crisis. Many have strained relationships with immediate family. The majority are poor. Many are homeless, and a large number have a mental health condition. They need access to many services. Services like housing, employment, education, substance abuse and mental health treatment and medical care are interdependent, yet operate independently. If someone cannot read and write, how can he get a job that pays a living wage? If he has a job but no place to live, how long will he stay employed? We must do a better job of identifying needs and coordinating services already available. Let me give an example. Between 12 percent and 16 percent of our incarcerated population is seriously mentally ill. When an offender with a mental health disorder is incarcerated, the offender is treated, stabilized and eventually released. Because of the nature of mental illness, an ex-offender may not continue treatment. This leads to behavior that ultimately lands the person back in prison. Our nation will provide treatment one way or another — if not in the community, then in prison. If we do not accept the moral imperative to help those who cannot help themselves, the financial reality is that we will pay for that decision in increased costs. There are programs proven to work. A study by the U.S. Department of Education found that attending school while still in prison can cut recidivism nearly 30 percent. College courses can reduce it another 20 percent. Research has found that those who establish a relationship with community religious organizations succeed at a higher rate than those who do not. We know that mentoring works. Organizations that coordinate resources and enlist ex-offenders offer great value. In 2010, Goodwill agencies around the nation helped 45,000 ex-offenders with training, counseling, health care, mentoring, housing, job placement and retention. The United Way of Central Indiana led a similar effort which recognized inmates are likely to be parents, and incarceration adversely affects their children. Intervention work started inside the prison and followed offenders into the community. Within the prison system, we encourage offenders to participate in education and training programs. There are approximately 400,000 individuals in education, vocational and life skills programs. We are trying to reach more. A distance learning study using DVDs to prepare offenders for high school equivalency diplomas was piloted in 2006. There are heating, ventillation, air conditioning and plumbing training programs available. These inmates work in prisons, reducing the cost of incarceration and idleness and increasing skills. Other vocational programs are planned. In Probation and Parole, offenders are helped to find jobs and places to live. We will continue to do more, but we cannot succeed on our own. Set straight. Sooner or later, inmates come back — to a new life or the old life of crime. This affects families and neighborhoods. What is the solution? Send your ideas to this blog. Type in the comment box. Publish your best idea.

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Piano Lessons

hi,

the AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG  SEAN,  had a fantastic idea, to write his POST, THAT was quite long ago,

and it turn out to gathered many comments from smart felons, and information also important for some of them,,

the POST ENDURE ALL THIS TIME, AND i’M SURE WILL GO FURTHER BECAUSE SOME WHO CAN HELP THEM, ARE COMING TO VISIT  AND GIVE HOPE IN SOME CLUES AND IDEAS TO  HELP THE ONES HELPLESS AND UNAWARE , TOO DESPERATE TO ENVISAGE A LIGHT AT THE END OF THEIR TUNNEL,

SO they read other felons who made it, how they did it, andtake the good part as possibility for them to hope by trying other ideas of success,

thank you for your support

best to you

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Wow, incredible weblog structure! How lengthy have you been running a blog for? you make running a blog glance easy. The full look of your site is great, as smartly as the content!

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