So one thing that the criminal justice system attempts to do for criminals is teach them some legitimate skills so that they can have honest work when they leave prison. My mother, for example, would go to the local prison and teach reading to the prisoners.
One problem the inmates suffer, however, is that few employers are interested in hiring those with criminal convictions. It seems to me that a good solution would be to teach them entrepreneur skills and then lend them money when they get out.
This would allow them to start a business thus not requiring them to convince an employer that they’ve changed and gives them real options and grow the economy to boot.
It is a good idea. But stigma is not the only barrier. Many professions–even things like barbering or HVAC repair–require an occupational license that will be denied because of a criminal record.
But it’s worth doing, alongside other reforms. One good idea is to provide subsidies and insurance to employers who hire people with criminal records. It cost a fraction of the price of putting someone in prison to give employers incentive to hire them, and employment is the single biggest factor determining recidivism.
If you can’t convince people that criminals are a good risk to hire, how do you expect to convince them that criminals are a good risk to lend money to so they can run their own business?
In many places, occupational licensing covers a huge swath of the kind of skills you can learn in prison without an advanced degree and expect to get a job on your own or with the kind of place that would hire you. Home health, cosmetology, child care, trades…that’s basically the market for these guys and licensing schemes keep them out.
Over time, opinion has vacillated WRT to value of rehabilitation vs punishment in incarceration. IMO, there is far more talk of rehabilitation, than actual efforts in that direction. It is not only the failure to teach needed work (and social) skills while incarcerated, but also the continuing hurdles AFTER they ostensibly have paid their debt to society.
Like someone mentioned upthread, no one makes money off of rehabbing prisoners. But folk do profit from recidivism.
Actually, my barber learned barbering in prison. When he got out he made use of a program to get a loan, lease a building, equip his shop, and start working. He is a success story.
Seems like all you need to do is put rehabilitation in their contracts and offer bonuses for each year a criminal stays out of prison upon release and you would magically get private prisions very interested in finding the best possible rehabilitation programs.
The bonus would have to equal what they currently get for warehousing prisoners plus the cost of these new rehabilitation programs to make it worth their while.
In my rather limited experience, the US penal system is more about punishment/vengeance and warehousing, rather than any actual rehabilitation.
The result seems to be rather counter to the intent; only those people whom are essentially unintential or circumstantial criminals come out the far side wanting to be back on the straight and narrow - Those whom committed crims by intent seem to come out the far side worse than they went in.
Many states and municipalities have taken to “banning the box” which is the question on many job applications “have you ever been convicted of a crime?” Which typically result in the candidate from even being considered for the position, even an interview. By banning the box, the candidate has an opportunity to tell their story, not necessarily keep their conviction secret, but have a chance to explain to the hiring manager. Who knows, they might be the best candidate for the job.
Their profit is based on scaring people into believing the fact" that we will always need more prisons because rehabilitation and/or parole doesn’t work-anything that would interfere with this business model will at best be ignored and at worst be fought vigorously.
No offense but, yes, your experience is clearly limited.
My experience on this particular issue, on the other hand, is vast. So I can cite myself when I say that you’re wrong. Rehabilitation is a huge and very central issue in the American penal system. Massive amounts of money and time are spent on rehabilitation.
Background checks are not done normally with everyone that fills out an application. They are normally done much later in the stage of the process. As I said, giving the candidate to explain their situation and disclose the issue of their conviction, makes the background check moot. Most candidates that check that box, never even get a chance to explain their situation.
I can jump on board with this idea, if it can be shown that states that have “banned the box” have hired a higher percentage of former prisoners than before they enacted such legislation. Show me it actually works.