Articles & News

March 31, 2008

Delray Beach hosts its first ex-con job fair

By Jerome Burdi, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Delray Beach - The job application question is inevitable: Have you been convicted of a felony?

The ex-convicts say they may lie about their past, or answer the question truthfully but promise an explanation. If they answer truthfully, they probably won't get the job. And if they lie, they may have a job only until the employer finds out.

So when they heard Delray Beach was hosting its first ex-convict job fair Saturday, about 100 came in hopes of putting a life of crime behind them. The more jobs they get turned away from, the louder temptation grows to rob and steal, they said.

But prison isn't fun. "It most definitely made me want to get a job. It's not the place to be," said Jaysun Walker, 25, of Fort Lauderdale. He said he went to federal prison for five years on a fraud charge. "Nobody told me if I go to jail, I couldn't get a job."

The city's Coalition for Community Renewal hosted its first Ex-Offender Second Chance Resource and Employment Fair at the Delray Full Service Center cafeteria in the 300 block of Southwest 14th Avenue.

"Employers don't want to talk with them once they hear about their background," said Cerina Anderson, program manager of the coalition. Delray Beach has five to eight ex-convicts released from prison every month, she said. Felony offenders have a 67 percent recidivism rate, according to state statistics.

Michael Rodriguez, executive director of the Criminal Justice Commission of Palm Beach County, said a county task force was formed to bring all the re-entry programs together and create a more organized approach to the problem.

"We certainly don't make it easy on them," he said. Job fairs are a good beginning, Rodriguez said.

A group composed mostly of men filled out applications Saturday for employers such as Home Depot, Goodwill and Bethesda Memorial Hospital. Extremely violent ex-criminals or sex offenders were not invited.

After a 10-month stint in county jail, Marko Clinton, 25, of Delray Beach, lied on his application to be a prep cook. The bosses later found out and fired him, he said.

"It's tempting to go to the lifestyle you ain't supposed to be," Clinton said. "Don't nobody like to be broke."

But with a son on the way, he wants to turn his life around.

Goodwill Human Resources Director Lisa Coleman said, "I do believe in everybody being able to get a second chance."

That's just what Maille Joseph needs. The 27-year-old got out of prison March 21 after serving 10 years for robbery with a firearm, burglary and kidnapping charges. He doesn't have many computer skills and doesn't remember much about driving a car, he said. Even so, it's nice to walk out of prison a free man, said Joseph, of Delray Beach.

"I don't want to go back," he said. "I'm looking to have a chance to prove myself."

Jerome Burdi can be reached at jjburdi@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6531