Don't Screw Up

There is very little incentive in this country to turn your life around after you've made a mess of things. If you've never screwed up, you probably have no clue what I'm talking about. Almost every job that can be applied for asks the "have you been convicted of a felony" question. In this economy, when jobs are tight, that automatically becomes a weeding out question. Employers overlook qualified employees, ones who desperately need work (some who without it will be put back into prison) and hire people with less experience and even far less motivation.

Now, I'm not saying that every person with a felony conviction deserves a shot, but neither do some folks without any criminal record. There are logical limitations that need to be considered: persons with drug convictions probably shouldn't work in pharmacies or pedophiles shouldn't work in day care centers. But to create policies that don't consider a large part of the population solely based upon a label without considering the person is beyond my ability to understand, and slowly moving beyond my ability to cope.

I worked with a man who had his BA in engineering. He had worked at a major auto maker for twenty years. His marriage ended badly and he coped by turning to the bottle. He lost his job and couldn't pay his child support. At a certain point in the process he was put in prison and convicted of a felony. While in jail, he attended classes, got counseling, really turned his behavior and attitude around. This man had so much to offer. He wanted to work, to make things right for his children. No one was willing to consider hiring him because he had a felony conviction. He was treated worse than a leper. For all they cared, he may as well have been a mass murderer. I was finally able, completely by the grace and guidance of God, to connect him with a company that ended up hiring him and being quite pleased with his work. (It turned out that there were connections and acquaintances that facilitated this whole process--that for me was the God thing.)

I was called on Monday by a local staffing agency. You know the kind: they typically work with factories, low paying, back breaking, no-one-else-wants-to-do-the-work kinds of places. They had advertised for a trainer and agency staff position. I applied. This was several months ago, so I was quite surprised to receive the call asking me to come in for an interview. Surprised, and hopeful, but not too hopeful--I didn't even tell my husband about the interview. I donned my appropriate interview attire and was pleased that my hair even turned out nice. I showed up at the agency and was asked to fill out a one page information sheet. On the sheet was the felony question, which I marked yes. I took the sheet back to the young woman at the desk. She looked at me and asked if I meant to check that "yes". I told her that I did and she told me that they should have asked me that question on the phone; none of their employers will consider persons with felony convictions. No apology for wasting my time, she just looked down and went on with her work.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I thought about asking to speak to her employer. I could have pitched a fit, cussed and stormed out. I didn't. I turned, picked up my purse, walked out and drove home. I put my interview clothes back in the closet and pulled out sweats and a sweatshirt. I came to the computer and started writing. I'm crying now--but I don't want pity. I want a job. A real job. Sure I screwed up, but I'm a hard working, gifted individual who wants to contribute to society. And beyond that, I want to contribute to the financial well-being of my family. I can't keep working a job that just pays minimum wage.

It's moments like these that make me understand recidivism. It's moments like this that make me understand why people just plain give up. Really, why bother with rehabilitation when society won't recognize that a person can change, wants to change, and needs a job to keep the process going. And don't get me started on housing. There is little to no motivation or incentive to try and improve.

Well, that's not exactly true. The government offers tax breaks, monetary incentives, and bonding for felons, but few employers want to take the "risk." Some don’t want to be “bothered” with the paperwork. There are, thankfully, employers who do step outside the norm and work hard to hire ex-felons--but they are few and far between. God bless them for their efforts!

So in the meantime, I'll just keep working the part time jobs that I have and thank God that Nelson gets overtime on his job to make up the difference. I won't get too excited about the other two applications I put in this week. I just don't see much changing in the near future. It makes me wish I had a greater ability to warn people: don't ever, ever screw up. Whatever it is that might be tempting you, whatever twisted thinking that has pervaded your normally logical and moral way of behaving--don't do it! You have no idea the ramifications and consequences and how you'll never get away from them.