Help wanted — sixty-five million need not apply

slimvictor

slimvictor

Bluelight Crew
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"Darkness cannot be dissipated with more darkness.
In 2008, Johnny Magee, who is developmentally disabled, was laid off from his landscaping job in Livermore, California, thanks to government budget cuts. He applied for a new position as a garden center attendant at a nearby Lowe's Home Improvement store. Despite his prior experience, Magee wasn't hired. Why? A background check had turned up a 1999 misdemeanor conviction, stemming from an incident in which he unknowingly picked up a package for his uncle that contained drugs. Later that year, Magee's conviction was dismissed—but that was too late for him to get the job at Lowe's.

Sixty-five million Americans—or one in four adults—have a criminal record. But employers—including major companies like Bank of America, Omni Hotel, and Domino's Pizza—routinely post job ads on Craigslist that explicitly exclude such applicants, according to a new report conducted by the National Employment Law Center (NELP), a labor-affiliated advocacy group.

The practice appears in some cases to be against the law, and at a time of record long-term joblessness, advocates for the poor say it places yet another obstacle in front of people like Magee, who are working to get their life back on track. In addition, there's widespread agreement that helping those with criminal records to find stable employment is crucial for preventing recidivism and preventing future crime. Indeed, that's the reason that the government runs programs designed to make it easier for ex-offenders to find work.

Perhaps most important, effectively making more than one quarter of the American workforce unemployable may be an unsustainable policy for the economy as whole.
"Candidates must be able to pass: background check (no felonies or misdemeanors)," reads one ad placed by the bailed-out banking giant Bank of America. "Do not apply with any misdemeanors/felonies," warns another. And one study last year found that 92 percent of employers said they screen some or all applicants for criminal records.

cont at
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelo...help-wanted-sixty-five-million-need-not-apply
 
This article makes me sick because it just confirms a suspicion I've always had. I have a criminal record from a stupid decision almost 8 years ago and excellent work based relationships with every company I have ever worked for and I can't seem to find a job. It's a shame that no matter what you do, if you make 1 mistake then you're done for life.
 
I agree with Mora Fiend, it does make one feel sick. There's no real point in 100% excluding somebody because they have a "criminal record". In some states, driving 15mph over the speed limit is a misdemeanor.
 
That is bullshit indeed. I had my lone felony conviction expunged from my records a few years ago. But then the econemy went into the crapper and it's still tough out there:(
 
I agree that it sucks, but what are governments supposed to do? Force companies to hire convicts?

my life has been totally fucked by one heroin sale charge many years ago. I got an expungement, but data miners still regurgitate the charge to anyone who asks. These are private databases, not gov'ment databases.

such is life gents, such is life
 
^Yes, it should be illegal to discriminate against people simply because they have criminal records. The government should make it illegal for a company to refuse to hire someone simply because of past criminal offenses.

Ex-cons have done their time and should be given a chance to actually rehabilitate, but policies like these deny them that chance. These policies force people back into crime after they've gotten out and do absolutely nothing except take away assets from our society.
 
^I'd ammend that to "non-violent ex-cons". I don't want rapist coworkers. And I'm sure banks don't want armed robbers as tellers.

A simpler solution would be to TRULY wipe people's records clean when they are eligible for expungement. The only way to do that is to cut out the data miners and require companies to get their data directly from governments.

Trust me man, I've even tried to SUE data miners for propagating outdated information. I gave up this fight years ago as there is no legal precedent for it.

Information is eternal it seems.
 
^True dat, but it helps a lot.

235360287471352662 said:
^I'd ammend that to "non-violent ex-cons". I don't want rapist coworkers. And I'm sure banks don't want armed robbers as tellers.

A simpler solution would be to TRULY wipe people's records clean when they are eligible for expungement. The only way to do that is to cut out the data miners and require companies to get their data directly from governments.

Trust me man, I've even tried to SUE data miners for propagating outdated information. I gave up this fight years ago as there is no legal precedent for it.

Information is eternal it seems.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind having a former rapist as a co-worker. People change, and beyond that a lot of people go to jail for shit they don't do. I've had friends who did time for bad, bad things, but they changed.

If someone has gone to jail, then they've done their time, they shouldn't have to be punished once they get out. If we want people to reintegrate into society after release then we have to forgive them for what they did. No one can move forward until we forgive each other.

I can understand things like keeping former pedophiles and rapists from working in daycares, and keeping former bank robbers from working in banks, but those are specific cases. For the vast majority of jobs, a background check is totally unnecessary.

If I ever own a business I should employ no one but ex-cons, just to help even things out.
 
I'm glad they've called attention to this btw. All I did was sell stuff that people really wanted. I didn't force nobody to do nothing. I peddled happiness. Why should I be labeled a criminal?
 
I agree with Psychomimetic, people change. Look at it this way 235quadrillion (I hate typing out all those numbers ^), say someone came up to you and started getting in your face and you push them away cuz they piss you off. You could technically be charged with a violent crime, and then employers would see it on your record.
 
Yeah I almost got arrested for attempted assault or whatever the end of last year. Yet the other person and I didn't want to charge either one another.....the cop kept trying to force me to say what I wanted to be when I grow up. He was getting so pissed off when I wouldn't tell him. Then my mother was like a psychiatrist. He then ranted on about how I would never be able to be that if this was put on my record. I wanted to pistol whip him with his own gun after that.
 
I am not saying that you will never get a job, but with such a high number of unemployed people a moment of indiscresion can prevent you from getting a good job.
 
Background checks can only go back 7 years so your ability to get a job isn't ruined forever. I ended up taking a plee on a case because I didn't want to risk any more jail time and the conviction was supposed to be removed after completion of probation. Even though they took off the conviction I still get harassed because they refuse to expunge the arrest records. My background check shows arrests for six different felonies even though I ended up pleeing to a single charge.. Once an employer sees your arrest record they don't give a shit if you were convicted or not so I should of just fought the case. Another dirty thing employers are doing now is refusing to interview people who aren't already employed.. How the fuck is having a job going to be a prerequisite for getting a job?

So many people are unemployed now employers can just get away with this garbage..
 
I know for a fact that background checks do not go back only 7 years. My charges were over 7 years ago and it's been brought up by more than one employer after they've checked. All they have to do is request a criminal record which you can do on anyone for a nominal fee.
 
My bad let me clarify, cause in my case I'm only screwed for 7 years. It is on a state by state basis, and California only goes back 7 year reporting for all arrests/convictions (if you are in a profession making over something like $70k/yr they will report back farther). On a federal level arrest records (not convictions) only get reported for 7 years under the FCRA (§ 605).
 
^ True that, in New York after 7 years there's a 'good merit certificate' that doesn't really clear the record but shows that it was only 1 arrest and a long time ago
 
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