Articles & News

April 28, 2009

As tight as the job market is for the average out-of-work Joe, it's even harder for ex-offenders to earn a paycheck.

"It's an untapped labor source, but a lot of employers don't seem willing to give us a chance," said a local man in his mid-50s who served 3½ years in federal prison on a perjury conviction. He declined to give his name because he has started a business and wants to keep his background private.

A fledgling program is teaching men and women on probation through the 4th Judicial District techniques to improve their chances of re-entering the work force and building a career.

RESTORE, a collaboration between the probation department and Pikes Peak Workforce Center, a federally funded agency that provides services for job seekers, started last May, using existing staff from both offices. Two AmeriCorps workers recently were hired, and community volunteers now are being sought to help expand the program.

"We understand offenders have barriers to employment, but we're trying to tip the scales and even the playing field," said Kurt Runge, probation supervisor for the 4th Judicial District.

About 5 percent of unemployed people who use the Pikes Peak Workforce Center indicate that they have been convicted of a crime, spokeswoman Jeanne Cotter said. That amounted to 2,441 job seekers in 2008.

Runge's department, which has 80 probation officers, recommends people with misdemeanors and felonies for the program.

Participants receive one-on-one job coaching, practice with interviewing skills, assistance with writing résumés and filling out applications, access to data bases and networking opportunities.

RESTORE, an acronym for Re-entry Services to Regain Employment, is based on a national model developed by the National Institute of Corrections Training. Participants range from sex offenders to those convicted of theft, DUI or domestic violence crimes.

Participants learn how to tailor a résumé to highlight their skills and abilities and downplay lapses in employment as a result of incarceration, Runge said, and how to demonstrate they accept responsibility for their actions.

"We ask them to do a letter of explanation, taking ownership for what they've done, how they have been rehabilitated and how they've changed their lives," he said.

One of the challenges, Runge said, has been finding local employers willing to consider hiring job applicants with a criminal history.

Only 26 local employers have indicated to the Pikes Peak Workforce Center that they're willing to hire ex-offenders, Cotter said. The local probation department had nearly 6,000 adults on probation as of June 30, according to a statewide annual report.

With El Paso County's unemployment rate hitting a 21-year high of 8.6 percent in March, plenty of job seekers do not have criminal backgrounds, and many employers have a negative attitude about hiring people on probation or parole, Runge said.

"A big criticism is why would we spend time and money to help offenders get jobs when there are so many people without a criminal background out of work. All we're saying to employers is hire the best person," Runge said. "Our folks are eager to work, are very loyal and if you give them an opportunity, they will succeed."

"‘Hire offenders' is not my message," he said. "‘Hire the best person for the job' is. Often, we have offenders with top skills."

Incentives for employers include federal tax credits.  People on probation also are regularly monitored for behavior and are drug tested, Runge said.

Former convicts often make good employees because they want to stay out of prison or jail, said a local 30-year-old man who served four years in a state prison after a conviction for a sex offense. He declined to give his name because he said sex offenders are often the subject of discrimination.

"People on probation or parole are real hard workers," he said, "but there's a stigma attached to having a felony. Employers seem to have a hard time getting past that perception. A lot of places won't call you back once they see that on your application."

Holding a job or seeking employment is always a condition of probation or parole. Many ex-offenders also must support a family and pay restitution for their crimes.

Runge acknowledges that some jobs may be off-limits to former criminals - a convicted embezzler would not be a good fit for accounting work, for example.

Employers who agree to consider RESTORE participants can specify which criminal backgrounds they would rule out in an employee, he said. 

 

Call for volunteers
RESTORE, which helps ex-offenders who are on probation secure employment, is seeking volunteers to work with participants to assess job barriers, readiness and suitability; provide job coaching and motivation; maintain a job database; and communicate offenders' progress. Employers willing to consider hiring job applicants with a criminal history also are needed. Contact Kris at 667-3765 or Grace at 667-3775