There are many reasons why no felon should be jobless. And a large number of them are not even about the welfare of those that have been convicted of crimes.
When a felon stays jobless, It will affect you and everyone else in society in active and passive ways.
Come to think of it, when there is a high rate of unemployment in a country, crime rates increase. So you see that the felons in your community should be allowed to work in order to reduce this issue.
If regular people with no criminal records can become a problem for you by being idle, then consider unemployed felons.
Help felons rebuild their lives
As a good citizen, you should be helping everyone that needs it. But when it comes to felons, you should give them more care. This is because they have already served legal punishment for their crime, so they don’t deserve any more ill treatment.
Many of these felons committed the crimes at a young age and are now full of regret. You can help them make amends by, first of all, treating them in a respectful way. Then do all you can to help them rebuild their lives—this will reflect in a better society.
According to recent statistics, more than 77 million Americans have a criminal record. Which means that one in every three adults in the country has been involved in a criminal offense.
With that information, you can see that the word “felon” refers to a very large number of people. So, if you refuse to help felons because of their past, you will have to shut out a lot of people. And it would be so unfair.
There are many correctional programs that felons go through while they serve jail time. Some of them even start planning for the new phase after they get released. So if you do not help them, you will be shattering other people’s dreams.
So if you are an employer of labor, make sure that felons are included in your workforce. They have a lot to offer if you give them a chance. No felon should be jobless.
Even if you are not an employer, you can help felons rebuild their lives in many different ways. By treating them with respect, not showing stigma, and introducing them to beneficial opportunities, you would be doing your part in making the world a better place for felons.
It is not only about them returning to crime
When we say no felon should be jobless, many people only think about the effects of their being idle. But that is just one of so many other important reasons for you to keep them engaged.
If someone has gone to jail for harming other people, then gets out of jail with the aim of harming more people, they won’t be looking for gainful employment.
Such people are not the ones that are trying to make their lives better. So stop thinking of giving felons employment strictly for security reasons. Felons deserve to be seen as people who need jobs to make a living — just like everyone else.
So instead of thinking about how idleness could lure felons back into crime, think about helping them earn legal income. They are regular people with financial needs, not security threats that must be kept busy.
What happens when felons are jobless?
In a society that does not employ felons, a lot of things could go wrong for the economy. Starting with the fact that it ensures an increase in the unemployment rate.
Additionally, you could miss out on hiring some of the best talents out there if you keep ignoring felons. Since one in every three adults in the country has a criminal record, there’s a large population of untapped talent.
When felons do not get jobs after trying so hard, it could eventually make them depressed. And if such a large number of people start getting depressed, some of them could resort to suicide.
Many of these felons are parents or were breadwinners before going to jail. So they are needed as providers for their families. When you refuse to hire felons, you are punishing their innocent children and those who depend on them for survival.
What happens when felons are gainfully employed?
As an employer, there are many ways your business could benefit from hiring a felon. When you take the good step of giving them jobs, you get special incentives from the government.
Employing felons also reduces the overall rate of unemployment in the country, which is very good for the economy.
When you employ ex-convicts, your company will start to record less employee turnover. This is because felons really have nowhere else to go, so they stick with one employer for a long time.
Contrary to public opinion, you will be surrounded by loyal people when you hire more felons in your company. After all they’ve been through for jobs, there is this sense of loyalty towards the one that has employed them.
When more people understand that no felon should be jobless, it will create a healthy competition in the labor market.
As it stands, things are already intense as people compete for the highest-paying jobs. But imagine how much better people would behave at work if they knew they had no advantage over a felon.
At the end of the day, when you treat felons with fairness, you are the one to get more value.
The change begins with you
You can start today, in your own little way, at work or in school. Whenever you come across someone with a criminal record, lend a helping hand.
You don’t have to be an HR manager to help them get jobs. As long as you show them opportunities and encourage them with words, no felon will be jobless.
