Getting a Job After Prison in South Carolina

There is one question that determines whether you get hired. Not the application. Not the background check. Not what the charge was or how long you were inside.

The question is this: why you, over the thirty other people I could hire who don't have a criminal record?

If you walk in without a ready answer, you will not get the job. The interviewer can see the pause the moment you don't have something prepared, and once they see it, the room shifts against you. What you need is an answer practiced enough to say with confidence and humility at the same time.

The answer that works is this:

Everybody deserves a second chance. Somebody is going to give me one. And they are going to get the best employee they ever had, because I am never, ever going to do something that sends me back to prison.

Say it clean. Say it without flinching. It makes no excuses, asks for no sympathy, and tells the employer the one thing they actually need to know: you have more reason to perform than anyone else in that stack.

Then live it. The light is on you from the first day. Use it. Work twice as hard as the person next to you. Show up earlier, stay later, and make that scrutiny your shining light, not a shadow. The person standing next to you does not have anyone watching them that closely. You do. That is the advantage if you decide to use it.

What the Law in South Carolina Says About Your Record

South Carolina does not have a statewide law restricting when private employers can ask about criminal history. Ban the box legislation has been introduced in the South Carolina General Assembly -- bills in the 2023-24 and 2025-26 sessions proposed extending fair chance hiring protections to both public and private employers -- but none has been enacted as of the time of this writing. Private employers across most of South Carolina can ask about criminal history at any point in the hiring process.

Federal FCRA protections apply statewide to all employers using consumer reporting agencies. Non-conviction records older than seven years cannot appear on background check reports for most positions. EEOC guidance advises all employers to assess criminal records in relation to the specific job and circumstances, not apply blanket exclusions.

South Carolina's expungement law is limited but meaningful for qualifying offenses. Non-conviction arrests are destroyed. Certain low-level misdemeanors (maximum penalty of 30 days and/or $1,000 fine) are eligible for expungement three years after conviction with no other convictions in that period. First offense simple possession of a controlled substance: eligible three years after sentence completion. First offense possession with intent to distribute: eligible 20 years after sentence completion with no other drug or felony convictions in that period. First offense unlawful possession of a firearm (added 2024): eligible three years after conviction. Most felony convictions are not eligible for expungement. Pardon through the SC Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services (SCDPPPS) does not remove the conviction from the record but notes it as pardoned; between May 2023 and December 2024, approximately 52% of pardon applications were approved.

South Carolina Legal Services (sclegal.org) provides free expungement guidance for eligible low-income South Carolinians.

Building the Answer Before You Need It

In South Carolina, your answer in the interview is what carries you with private employers. The law provides no timing protection before that moment. So you have to walk in ready.

What makes South Carolina distinctive in this series is what happens before release. South Carolina claims the lowest three-year return-to-prison rate in the nation at 17%, and attributes that directly to the Second Chance program -- a partnership between SCDC, SC Department of Employment and Workforce (SCDEW), and SCDPPPS. South Carolina leads the nation in providing intensive work readiness, soft skills, and career training to incarcerated individuals before they leave.

Here is what the program does specifically: SCDEW begins meeting with participants in person and virtually as they approach release. They help participants build resumes from their SCDC work and education program experience, develop soft skills, and practice interviews. SCDEW registers participants in the SC Works system so they can apply for jobs before they are released. The program also includes mock interview sessions conducted by SCDEW team members and -- through a collaboration with the SHRM Columbia Chapter -- by experienced HR managers who volunteer their time.

That means if you went through the Second Chance program, you have a resume, a SC Works profile with your job history and skills, mock interview experience, and a SCDEW contact. That is the foundation of the answer. Connect it to what this employer needs.

SCDC provides GED programs and hands-on vocational training in agriculture, manufacturing, and other industries during incarceration. Any SCDC vocational credential or industry training is content for your resume and your answer.

South Carolina's economy runs on manufacturing (BMW, Boeing, Michelin, and Volvo all have major South Carolina facilities), military and defense, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, agriculture, and logistics. Charleston, Columbia, Greenville/Spartanburg, and Myrtle Beach are the primary labor markets. Manufacturing and logistics in the Upstate and Lowcountry create persistent demand for skilled workers. Whatever you are applying for, make the answer specific to what that employer needs.

Practice it out loud. Until the hesitation is completely gone. The pause is what loses the room. Eliminate it before you sit down.

Companies in South Carolina That Hire People with Criminal Records

South Carolina's economy, anchored by Upstate manufacturing, the Charleston port and logistics corridor, Columbia's healthcare and government sectors, and Myrtle Beach's hospitality economy, creates consistent demand across sectors.

BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, Boeing in North Charleston, Michelin North America in Greenville, and Volvo Cars in Berkeley County represent the Upstate manufacturing base that has actively sought returning citizens through Second Chance hiring partnerships. Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, and major food service operators have extensive South Carolina operations and national fair chance commitments. Healthcare systems including Prisma Health, MUSC Health, and Tidelands Health hire in support and entry-level roles. Logistics and port operations in Charleston and surrounding counties create consistent demand in transportation, warehousing, and distribution. Construction contractors statewide face persistent labor shortages.

SCDEW Second Chance employer partners are employers who have specifically committed to hiring returning citizens through the program. Ask your SCDEW contact before release for the current list of employer partners.

SC Works career centers statewide provide direct employer connections and WOTC documentation.

Staffing agencies across Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach are the most accessible first step, placing workers in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare support with more flexibility than direct hire.

For the full national list of companies with public fair chance commitments, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.

The Tax Credit Employers Get for Hiring You

Here is the closing argument for every conversation with an employer on the fence.

There is a federal program called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC. When an employer hires someone from a qualifying group, including individuals recently released from prison, the employer may receive a significant federal tax credit per qualifying hire. That is not charity. It is a business incentive the federal government created specifically to make hiring returning citizens financially advantageous.

You are not asking anyone to take a risk on you. You are telling them your hire comes with a tax benefit attached that none of the other thirty applicants can offer. Say it at the end of the interview, after you have made your case: I qualify for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Hiring me may put money back in your business. And I will give you the best work you have ever gotten from a new hire, because I have too much to lose to give you anything less.

SCDEW administers WOTC in South Carolina. For the most recent fiscal year, South Carolina employers saved a potential of more than $97 million in tax credits through the WOTC program. SC Works career centers coordinate WOTC certification and Federal Bonding access for employers statewide.

Where to Get Help in South Carolina

SC Works career centers, operated through SCDEW statewide, provide job search assistance, career counseling, training referrals, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access. Returning citizens registered through the Second Chance program already have SC Works profiles before release. Find your nearest center at scworks.sc.gov.

SC Department of Employment and Workforce (SCDEW) Second Chance program provides pre-release job readiness training, resume support, mock interviews, SC Works registration, and employer connections for participants in SCDC facilities. Contact through dew.sc.gov.

SC Department of Corrections (SCDC) provides GED programs, vocational training in agriculture, manufacturing, and other industries, and work programs during incarceration. Contact through doc.sc.gov.

SC Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services (SCDPPPS, ppp.sc.gov) coordinates pardon applications for individuals whose convictions are not eligible for expungement. A pardon notes the conviction as pardoned and may improve employment prospects.

SC Legal Services (sclegal.org) provides free legal assistance to eligible low-income South Carolinians, including expungement eligibility guidance and petition assistance.

SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center (scjustice.org) provides an expungement reference guide and legal advocacy resources.

The Federal Bonding Program, coordinated through SCDEW and SC Works, provides free fidelity bonding to employers who hire returning citizens.