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Ex-offenders struggle with barriers to employment

Herald-Journal - 4/30/2017

April 30--Wayne Bryant was introduced to drugs at an early age and it wasn't long before he was spending his days in and out of prison.

But during his last eight-year sentence, surrounded by inmates who were in for life, he decided he was ready to make a change.

Bryant took part in the prison ministry JumpStart to prepare himself for life on the outside and was able to find a job within four weeks of his release.

But Bryant's success is rare.

"I'm family-driven right now. I want to show people, but I got to do it for myself first," he said. "It's about being able to support yourself and being able to provide. ... The offenders have a stigma already, you know? We're trying to change the way people look" at us.

Most former inmates struggle to find work once they're released, increasing the likelihood they'll slip back into a life of crime. While rehabilitation advocates say the situation is improving, they also see more that could be done to help inmates overcome employment challenges.

At-risk group

More than 9,000 people are released each year from South Carolina prisons. Nearly a quarter of them -- 23.1 percent in 2013, the most recent year for which data is available -- will commit new crimes and return to jail within three years, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.

Studies show a major reason ex-convicts reoffend is a lack of job opportunities and a steady income. One study conducted by the National Institute of Justice suggests that up to 75 percent of those released from prison are still jobless a year after their release.

"Getting people connected to work and to living wage employment is critical and can help reduce recidivism and future contact with the prison system," said Nicole Porter, director of advocacy at The Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to improving the U.S. criminal justice system.

In South Carolina, having a job even while still behind bars can reduce recidivism rates after release, state corrections data shows.

Inmates who work in prison industry jobs have a 13.5 percent recidivism rate, almost 10 percent lower than the state average.

"When you look at the breakdown of people that went through jobs and worked, (the recidivism rate) is a lot less for folks that participated in jobs than for those that sat around," said Bryan Stirling, director of the S.C. Department of Corrections.

Help on the outside

Some Spartanburg County groups are working to make sure former inmates have employment opportunities once they're released and to reduce the stigma that prevents them from being hired.

Don Williams, JumpStart's employment director, knows the challenges firsthand.

Williams, who served time in prison, started a janitorial business after his release in 2004. But he has also dedicated his life to helping other former inmates find work.

"I can't let the next man fall through the cracks," he said. "These guys are hungry. They're looking for opportunities."

Williams co-founded JumpStart, a prison rehabilitation ministry, in 2008 to help inmates prepare for life outside before they're released. Once out of jail, program participants are provided with a year of transitional housing and employment assistance.

Williams said he's built relationships with about 25 employers, mainly manufacturers. Those employers are more willing to hire JumpStart participants because they've already been vetted by the ministry, Williams said. He also acts as a liaison between JumpStart transportation coordinators and employers to make sure employees can be at work at the times they're needed.

He said ex-offenders -- called "returning citizens" at JumpStart -- are looking for permanent jobs with opportunities for advancement so they can earn enough to not only support themselves, but to cover such expenses as home detention payments to the state and restitution payments to their victims.

"Being an ex-offender, I know that you start out somewhere, and once you plateau out there, if you don't see the potential to make more money and you're giving it your all, eventually you're going to have to do something to get extra money. And if a criminal lifestyle is what you know, then, you know," Williams said.

Another program that helps former inmates find job opportunities is the S.C. Reentry Center in Spartanburg, which works with inmates who are on probation or parole. The center is one of only two in the state; the other is in Columbia. Both are run through the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, which keeps track of more than 29,000 ex-offenders who are on supervised release.

The Reentry Center held a job fair Friday with about 20 different employers who had expressed interest in hiring ex-offenders. Employment Coordinator Bryan Deas said that list is encouraging, but he would like to see more.

Marna Windle, director of the reentry center, said about 155 ex-offenders have found work after going through the center's job readiness program, which began in 2013.

Many of those who enter the program are identified before their release so they can become familiar with the program in advance, Windle said.

Help on the inside

Like local efforts, the state's programs have recognized the importance of equipping inmates for life outside prison before they're released.

In 2015, the state Department of Corrections partnered with the Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) to offer inmates help as their release dates near.

Staff from DEW visit every prison facility in the state once a month to talk to inmates. A program also is underway at Manning Correctional Institution in Columbia to assist inmates with computer training, interviewing skills and resume writing 90 days before their release. Inmates in the program then apply for jobs 30 days before their release.

The effort recently expanded to the Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia to help female inmates.

"Mainly, it's about getting the proper certifications that employers are really looking for," Stirling said.

Stirling said he expects the new job readiness efforts will have an impact on the number of inmates who find work.

Bryant, the former inmate who went through JumpStart, said that preparing to re-enter society while still in prison makes a difference, especially if an inmate wants to lead a better life.

"It starts off in prison. They've got to be able to change their mindset in there. If they're not willing to do it in prison, they're not willing to do it out here, or if they finally get out it's too late to make that change," Bryant said.

Barriers to overcome

Still, the obstacles to employment are significant.

Simply reintegrating into society is a big challenge for many former inmates. Bryant said he's grateful for the help he got from JumpStart, and for his job at Huntington Foam, an automotive supplier in Greer, but he admits he still feels "culture shock."

"I'm basically 12 years behind my generation," Bryant said. "The mindset I have now and the maturity level I'm at now, I should have been at when I was 18, and I just turned 30."

Former inmates also have a number of new complications to deal with, including transportation, education and health care.

"Just getting a basic ID is a challenge," said Deas, at the Reentry Center. "It's difficult, and everyone is on different levels."

But the biggest problem former inmates face is the stigma of having a record. Deas said ex-offenders often don't make it past the initial application process.

"Employers see that (question about criminal history) and toss it. Well, that could have been one of your best employees," he said.

Stirling, the state corrections director, agreed.

"I understand that stigma. You want to be safe in your hiring practices," Stirling said. "That's a challenge, and we're trying to overcome that challenge and help these people come on with their lives."

One effort to address that problem is a "Ban the Box" measure introduced by Democratic state Rep. Todd Rutherford of Columbia. The bill would prohibit employers from asking about criminal histories unless they're directly relevant to the job being sought.

Rutherford said the bill is still in committee, and it isn't likely to advance this session. But he hopes it can gain enough momentum to pass in the future.

Another measure introduced by Rutherford calls for making more former inmates eligible to have their records expunged, so they have an easier time applying for jobs.

Rutherford called a person's criminal conviction "a life sentence" no matter the time behind bars since their records continue to hold them back after release.

"If we don't look at a holistic approach to it, we're wasting our time," Rutherford said. "From a Ban the Box standpoint, employers want the best candidate, but you can't get them with antiquated notions of who makes up those candidates."

Proponents of such measures say they can help those trying to gain stability after prison. Nine states already have removed questions about criminal convictions from job applications of private employers, according to the National Employment Law Project.

"(Ban the box) is a good first step, in addition to stakeholders participating in public conversations around connecting people with criminal histories to work structures. The issue is that there is a lack of good jobs available for people with low skill levels," said Porter, with The Sentencing Project.

Jimmy Cheeks, a senior recruiter at the Spartanburg-based temp agency Personnel Solutions, said he committed to hiring ex-offenders based on their desire to work.

"I've found them to be a more reliable employee than someone that hasn't been incarcerated. They're looking to get back into society. They're trying to prove that to themselves, but a lot of companies won't give them that chance because of their background," Cheeks said. "But I've seen from my experience that they are dependable. They will work. They aren't afraid of getting dirty."

Some employers have also taken advantage of the federal bonding program, which provides them with liability insurance when they hire an ex-offender.

"The economy is picking up a bit and more people are willing to look at people with challenges in their background," said Peter O'Boyle, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Parole, Probation and Pardon Services.

Mark Pitto, an ex-offender who began working at JumpStart two years after his release, admits it's not easy trying to start over after serving time. Pitto, who also does some IT work with Sun Surveillance Inc., said some of those first days can be almost unbearable.

But it gets better, he said.

"There were some days I didn't know if I'd ever come out from it ... You can overcome it, but you've got to be strong and well-grounded," he said. "Just stay the course. It'll pass, but you've got to stay the course."

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(c)2017 the Spartanburg Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.)

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