Ex-convicts are 'at the back of the line' in their struggle to find work during the recession. It's a burden Gregory Headley feels all too well.
By Aaron Smith
If you think it's tough getting a job during a recession, imagine what it's like for an ex-convict.
Gregory Headley, 29, knows exactly what it's like. The Harlem resident was released from prison in July after serving two years and eight months for the criminal sale of a firearm. Now that he's out, he said, the conviction is dogging his attempts to land a full-time job.
"There's no nice way of saying, 'I sold a gun,' " Headley said recently as he headed to his part-time job cleaning sidewalks.
Headley was placed in the temporary, minimum-wage job by the Center for Employment Opportunities, a nonprofit organization in Manhattan that helps ex-convicts transition into law-abiding lifestyles.
Terrence Mason, assistant director of participant services at the employment center, described Headley as a "good guy" and a "go-getter." But he acknowledged that many employers will look no further than his rap sheet.
"His conviction is a tough sell to employers," said Mason.
At the back of the line
For everyone right now, the job market is tough. The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 10.2% in October, its highest level in more than 26 years, according to the Labor Department. Nationwide, 15.7 million people are out of work.
That is really bad news for the hundreds of thousands of ex-convicts who are released from prison every year.
"They're always at the back of the line, and the line just got a lot longer," said Glenn Martin, vice president of the Fortune Society in Queens, a nonprofit that trains ex-convicts in job hunting skills. "On top of that, our folks are losing jobs just like anyone else, but it's more difficult to replace those jobs, because of the stigma of criminal conviction. Our folks can't get through the door these days."
In the most recent available figures from the U.S. Department of Justice, 713,473 prisoners were released from incarceration in 2006. There are no nationwide numbers reflecting unemployment rates among ex-convicts.
But up to 60% of the formerly incarcerated in New York state are unemployed after one year of their release, according to a study from the Independent Committee on Reentry and Employment, of which Martin is a member. The number is even higher for parole violators, at 89%.
The temptations of the street can be overwhelming during a recession, said Martin, who was released from prison in 2000 after a six-year sentence for armed robbery. He said that his first post-prison job paid $16,000 a year, which paled compared to his ill-gotten gains.
"I used to make $16,000 a day when I was on the street," Martin said. "I used to rob jewelry stores for a living. Obviously, it would have been a lot easier for me to go back to the street to do what I was doing. But the idea is to move away from instant gratification."
Michael B. Jackson, an ex-convict and author of "How to Do Good After Prison: A Handbook for Successful Reentry," said the risks of recidivism during a recession cannot be overstated.
"Formerly incarcerated people and drug addicts, we don't need a lot of excuse to go back to what we were doing before," he said. "In these hard times, when ex-offenders can't get jobs ... they're going to be robbing people."
The conviction question
During a two-week job-hunting class at the Fortune Society in Queens, employment specialist Mitchell McClinton grilled 19 ex-convicts in a series of mock interviews. After coaching his students on how to present themselves, market their job skills and answer the dreaded "conviction question," he posed as an employer and put them in the hot seat.
"I noticed that you checked 'yes' on the conviction," he said to one of the ex-convicts. "Explain."
"Basically, I learned from the mistakes of my past, [that they] jeopardize my present and my future," replied the interviewee.
McClinton moved on to the next ex-convict, but she mumbled through the interview and wouldn't speak up until he threatened to skip over her. When she finally opened her mouth to speak, McClinton saw something he didn't like.
"Is that a tongue ring in your mouth?" he said. "You can't wear a tongue ring to an interview."
Many of the ex-convicts are seeking cleaning jobs, based on the skills they outlined in the interviews, and some of them are working towards their high school equivalency degrees.
Headley, during his citywide clean-up rounds, said his heart is set on college and eventually an office job at the Center for Employment Opportunities, where he could help other ex-convicts transition into the job market.
But for the short term, he said he's gratified to be a sidewalk sweeper.
"I'll take making minimum wage any day over prison or death," said Headley. "Now I can walk the streets more freely, without having to watch my back. Now, I consider myself a productive member of society. I'm not contributing to the city's downfall."
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Nov 14th 2009 @ 8:56PM J E Summers
My son was convicted of felony theft over five years ago. At that time he was an addict doing any thing for his drugs. He now has been clean and in no trouble for over five years,,But he cannot get a job. They hire him he is the best worker--never missed a day work stays over any time needed, always early to report, but when they find out he is a felon they let him go..I think that if it is a non violent felony it should be able to be expunged after five years of being clean and straight..
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Nov 13th 2009 @ 2:09PM Anthony
I recently returned from a deployment in Iraq, and have not been able to land a job.It's been 5 months and not one interview.
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Nov 13th 2009 @ 2:16PM The Burns
I know your pain. But it could be far worse.
I've been unemployed, for all intents and purposes, since 2006 with 2 small boys. Funny thing is: I've never been unemployed IN MY LIFE, until now! So, when it did come... it came like a freight train.
Thank God my wife is an R.N. with 15 years experience. She gets paid very well.
Anyway, I finally started my own business. It's slow going - but at least it keeps me busy. Point is: don't give up. Keep trucking. It WILL happen. You may have to start over.. but someone, somewhere will give you the break you deserve. God Bless.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 2:53PM kerry
soldiers know all the good and negative parts of being a soldier.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 4:27PM bobbie
Just one more bit of proof that, in general, we treat our veterans like crap.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 5:47PM ptabb
My heart goes out to you. Any veteran who just returned from Iraq, Afganistan etc., should be able to apply for a government job and be first in line to get it period(although I know that is not the case).
Have you tried talking to any of the veteran reps at your local unemployment center?
Sometimes they can tell you all the steps to applying for a government job.
It is a disgrace to hear how some of our recent war veterans are being ignored.
Good luck to you and stay strong.
Thanks for your service.
Nov 14th 2009 @ 2:35PM Chris
I have been out of work for over a year after working 20 years in the same industry. I finally gave up and am enrolled full time in a vocational school for massage therepy. About 90% of paid from the gov and grants. You can probably get a lot of it paid through vet benefits. There are a number of medical related feilds that don't have a job. The only draw back is it makes it real tough to find a job while in school, but they have fields that take as little as 9 months training. I don't know if I am going to like the field, but at least I feel like I am moving forward. I just wish I would have done something like this 9 months ago and I would be done now and have a job. Good luck and thanks for your service.
Chris
Nov 13th 2009 @ 7:08PM guy
Anthony, become a truck driver. You can do it real easy. Get a Commercial Drivers Handbook, read it, go take the test. Now you've got a permit. Now find a guy with a truck. There's a lot of people that do nothing but rent trucks to guys getting their licence-that's how most illegals get their CDL's in CA. They'll drive around with you for a couple hours to familiarize you and you go do the test. Bahda Bing, Bahda Boom yooz got yourself a good career!
Nov 13th 2009 @ 7:19PM mcc
Try looking @ USAJOBS.COM, vets get preference when applying there.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 7:27PM E
If you are under the age of 37 try Federal bureau of prisons.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 7:46PM slinky
I was just telling a friend that we can't end the wars because the military personnel are going to come home to unemployment. It's very sad. Please check usajobs.gov daily. your service to the country gives you extra points in the hiring process.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 9:19PM james
If you weren't on the computer posting and out looking for a job, that might change. I'm ex-military and I know the struggle just as well. I went to truck driving school after being a jet engine mechanic for 14 years while on terminal leave. It took me away from my family for 28 days out of a month, but my family was taken care of. When those jobs ran short, I went to work as a fast food restaurant manager. Those military skills you were taught gave you some leadership abilities. Now, I'm driving a truck again, finishing my business degree online when I have time. Nobody said it was going to be easy when you got back. Take the chip off your shoulder. It's exponentially easier for you to get a job being ex military than these poor convicts trying to right a wrong. You look like you are making a wrong out of a right. If you want something bad enough, you work hard to get it or it holds no value to you in the longrun.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 2:17PM hotrodqd
all I can say its about time !!! somebody actually covers something that affects society and ...yes ....sometimes ordinary circumstnaces people face !!! how do you expect people too live without a job ? how to redeem themselves if your discriminated against because of a past mistake....they were obviously good enough to be released back in society ....sooo if you dont hire them ...what do you expect they'll do ? who cares right ??? jesus does !!! if the returning soldier cannot be employed how in the heck do ya expect a reformed law breaker to be ? hey maybe pat robertson will dole out some of his money to help you & your families through these tough times ? maybe trump ? gates ? buffet ? soros ? ....naaaw didnt think so .....either
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Nov 13th 2009 @ 2:28PM bettyjboop
I agree with the previous commenter. Today's society sticks the stigma of once a convict always a convict and that is not always the truth take me for instance I am 43 Have a DWI (not for drinking but for taking my prescription medication and driving) and one Felony 3 for calling in my own prescription and I had never been in trouble with the law. I used to be able to get jobs in the accounting field where I used to work and now NOTHING. Who is going to help us,the ones who really are ashamed of their past mistakes and want the opportunity for someone to have a REAL heart and give each of us just one chance? Any takers on this??? BS in Wylie, Texas
Nov 13th 2009 @ 2:44PM Simzee
If ya can't do the time....don't do the crime. Less problems that way.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 3:13PM samsonlynch
He did his time, the punishment was served, and he should be able to progress forward. The harshest thing, and the most debilitating, about entering the criminal justice system isn't the time, it's the stigmatism of having a record. Often people aren't even interviewed, simply overlooked for revealing they have a record.
People have to eat, it is a matter of survival. Given the choice between starving to death or busting somebody over the head for pocket change, someone is going to get bust over the head. Then there's begging, do you want beggars crowding you everywhere you go? Your tax dollars go into programs to help these people. You're going to support them anyhow you look at it, so we might as well hire them.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 6:17PM Elizabeth
Just wanted to say thanks! My husband is an ex-con. His crimes were commited back in 1986-1988. He got out of prison in 1990 & was released from parole in 1994. From 1985 to 2003, aside from his prison time, my hubby had no choice but to RUFFNECK in the oilfields of Texas. It was EXCELLENT money, don't get me wrong. But he couldn't find anyone else out there to give him a chance. We met in 1991, and since then, he has straightened out his life. He never failed ANY drug/alcohol testing during his parole or employment. In 2003, he was seriously injured on a drilling rig & black balled. Him & I then teamed up & drive truck. Unfortunately, our children do without us more than with us, but their needs are met. We have both been told that if it wasn't for me, no trucking company would hire him because of his criminal record. I have nothing criminal & am a retired soldier. He has never failed a DOT drug screen and has passed on more than one occasion a total drug search by agriculture inspections, border patrol & state troopers after they've run his license. It has been more than 20 years since his last conviction, and even though he's kept employment & gives no hassles to any state, he is still harrassed! Oh, just to let you know how assinine our government is... my husband was convicted for conspiracy to import marijuana from mexico... a FEDERAL felony. But, while in prison, he was informed, in writing I might add, the option to obtain his PILOTS license for $100!!!
Nov 13th 2009 @ 6:20PM Doran
I couldn't agree more, hotrodqd. Jesus cares about lost and we as Christins need to as well. These people need to know that God loves them and that he cares about them
Nov 15th 2009 @ 6:35PM Mike
I have to agree with the last comment. I have a conviction on my record for illeagle carry of a weapon, not for being violent but just for having it. I am a ex-cop and just because I have a conviction I haven't been able to find a job that is even paying half what I made for the Sheriff Office that I worked for. The only reason that I got convicted is that I ran out of Lawer. I had a court appointed public defender and he was more worried about his hair being stright than doing his job.
Makes me wonder just how many people in our jails really were not guilty and just had a lawer that was not up to snuff.
I have to say I think this man should recieve the respect for not giving up and keeping up the good fight for just doing the best he can. I am in the same shape and know just how hard it is not to just give in and give up or go back to doing just what got him in trouble in the first place. I know I have had the feeling that I should just give up myself frome time to time and know just how hard it is to keep going.
Nov 13th 2009 @ 2:19PM Dinky
So are we supposed to feel sorry for this guy ??? NOT....he made the choice of being a criminal... he made his bed, now he has to lie in it.
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