Why is it Hard for Parolees to Find Jobs?
By Shewanda Pugh, eHow Contributor
Parolees often return to outside life without the necessary skill set to obtain viable employment.
Parolees and ex-convicts in general encounter difficulties in obtaining employment for a number of reasons. Some are based on practical components centering on the duties and requirements of a given job, while others are based on the apprehension of potential employers, lack of qualifications of the applicant or stiff competition in a difficult job market.
Workplace Duties
o Often, employment in a certain field may carry the caveat of a clean criminal record as a minimum for applying. Jobs that involve working with vulnerable populations, such as children, the disabled or the elderly, often have this stipulation. Jobs of confidence, such as employment with a government agency or bank, often require that an applicant have a clean criminal record. Since many jobs involve an exchange of trust between the employer and employee, either because of the use of workplace valuables, privileged information or some other facet, often a clean criminal background check is required for work.
Apprehension
o Many employers are reluctant to take on the challenge of hiring a parolee. For them, the potential for recidivism is too high. In Newark, New Jersey, alone, some 2,300 men and women re-enter the population as ex-convicts each year, and 65% are rearrested within five years. Faced with the reality that many ex-convicts relapse to the undesirable behavior that precipitated the arrest, many potential employers feel it not worth the risk. Whether warranted or not, they face a real concern for the safety of company property, other employees and self.
Lack of Qualifications
o Often, people who drop out of high school find it difficult to support themselves after abandoning their education. In an effort to bridge the gap between earning potential and cost of living, they turn to crime, with the end result being imprisonment. When these individuals have been paroled, they find themselves out on the street, with their situation exacerbated. Not only do they still lack the education or the requisite work experience necessary to support themselves, but they have the stigma of criminal conviction to contend with as well.
Job Market Competition
o Even in a booming economy, a parolee will have difficulty finding an employer willing to take a risk on him. When job prospects are slim in a tough economy, highly qualified applicants will apply for jobs that they might not otherwise consider, in an effort to support themselves. When measured against a recent parolee with limited education and/or training, the choice for many employers becomes clear.