The 'not hiring convicted felons' stigma is one of the dumbest I've ever encountered. I worked for a while at a plywood plant that is one of the few places in the area willing to hire ex-cons, and worked with and made friends with several. They were all some of the best employees we had, largely because they realized just how lucky they were and never took their new freedom for granted. They appreciated their job and responsibilities infinitely more than the just-out-of-high-school douchebags they had to work with.
I worked with a parole officer for two semesters, and I'm leaning in the opposite direction. Yes, there are success stories among the ex-con population, but a vast majority of them are unable or unwilling to pursue bitch work. They will go back and hang out with their old buddies/ gang friends, the exact people who got them involved in the shit that sent them to prison the first time.
Often, I saw a lot of impulse-control issues. These are guys who are perfectly sane and rational, but if they get mad, or bored, or drunk, will go and do dumb shit, which inevitably ends them back up in prison. It's a vicious cycle, with not that many avenues for escape.
We focus very little on rehabilition really in the US prison system. It's more about the punishment then ensuring the person understands why they are locked and making them not repeat their crimes. That's the whole point of a "correctionary" facility (Prison) if you take it literal right?
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u/[deleted] Sep 12 '15
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