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Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - In the US, all criminal records are life sentences
Last week, members of Congress once again introduced a bipartisan resolution declaring April 'Second Chance Month' in the U.S. A worthy cause, Second Chance Month is a time to recognize the challenges faced by people with criminal records and to advocate for meaningful reform. Although the idea of a 'second chance' is celebrated, the reality is that the door to opportunity remains shut for millions of Americans coming out of prison. Without access to stable jobs and financial independence, many end up back behind bars or at least continue to have some kind of involvement with the criminal justice system. Each year, more than 600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about two-thirds of those released will be rearrested within three years. One of the main contributors to this staggering recidivism rate is the inability to find meaningful employment. A study from the Prison Policy Initiative found that the unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated individuals is nearly five times higher than the general population. For Black men with criminal records, the rate is even higher. It comes down to the fact that most employers conduct background checks. Even a quick internet search often reveals a past record, even if the offense was nonviolent or occurred many years ago. With limited employment options, financial stability becomes unattainable, and the likelihood of reoffending increases. If we are serious about reducing recidivism and supporting successful reentry, we should work to dismantle the systemic barriers that prevent people with criminal records from rebuilding their lives. I have three suggestions. First, we should expunge criminal records from internet search results. In the U.S., if someone goes bankrupt, there is no searchable evidence of that bankruptcy after 10 years. However, if you make a mistake with something as simple as failure to appear in court or a charge of driving under the influence, your record appears in internet searches in perpetuity. These search engine results undermine even the most well-intentioned and best-prepared job applicants. This goes directly against the basic American ideal that everyone deserves a second chance. A sensible reform would involve requiring search engines and third-party data aggregators to remove criminal records from search results after a designated period, particularly for nonviolent offenses. If Google can tweak its algorithms to demote low-quality content in search results in an effort to combat 'fake news,' it can give people who have been incarcerated a way to expunge their online record after a period of time or through some fair process, helping individuals move on with their lives without their past defining their future. Second, we should provide tax credits to employers who hire individuals with criminal records. Financial incentives can be a powerful tool in encouraging businesses to do this. A federal tax credit program specifically designed for employers who hire formerly incarcerated individuals would reduce perceived risks and encourage companies to make these hires. Although the Work Opportunity Tax Credit already offers some benefits, they are very limited in that they are available to employers of individuals who have been convicted of a felony or released from prison for a felony only within the last year. A system of tiered incentives based on retention rates could further encourage long-term employment and stability. Third, we should support entrepreneurship for people with criminal records. Not every citizen returning to life on the outside will find traditional employment opportunities, but entrepreneurship provides an alternative path. Starting a small business allows individuals to take control of their financial future and contribute positively to their communities. Unlike corporate hiring managers, customers rarely ask small-business owners about their criminal backgrounds. They care about the quality of the product or service. Entrepreneurship training programs and mentorship initiatives can help people with criminal records build sustainable businesses. My organization has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. By equipping individuals with practical skills and ongoing support, these programs reduce recidivism and foster economic growth. Second Chance Month serves as a reminder that redemption and rehabilitation are possible — but only if we remove the significant obstacles that stand in the way. Outside of people whose ancestors are from Africa, in America, all of our ancestors started anew and got a second chance. In this way, second chance is not a concept — it is central to what we are all about. Today, we are not living up to this basic principle. Brian Hamiltonis a nationally-recognized entrepreneur and the chairman of LiveSwitch. He is the founder of Inmates to Entrepreneurs, where he serves as the leading voice on the power of ownership to transform lives. He is well known for being the founder of Sageworks (now Abrigo), the country's first fintech company. He is also the star of 'Free Enterprise,' an award-winning show on ABC based on Inmates to Entrepreneurs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
16-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
In the US, all criminal records are life sentences
Last week, members of Congress once again introduced a bipartisan resolution declaring April 'Second Chance Month' in the U.S. A worthy cause, Second Chance Month is a time to recognize the challenges faced by people with criminal records and to advocate for meaningful reform. Although the idea of a 'second chance' is celebrated, the reality is that the door to opportunity remains shut for millions of Americans coming out of prison. Without access to stable jobs and financial independence, many end up back behind bars or at least continue to have some kind of involvement with the criminal justice system. Each year, more than 600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about two-thirds of those released will be rearrested within three years. One of the main contributors to this staggering recidivism rate is the inability to find meaningful employment. A study from the Prison Policy Initiative found that the unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated individuals is nearly five times higher than the general population. For Black men with criminal records, the rate is even higher. It comes down to the fact that most employers conduct background checks. Even a quick internet search often reveals a past record, even if the offense was nonviolent or occurred many years ago. With limited employment options, financial stability becomes unattainable, and the likelihood of reoffending increases. If we are serious about reducing recidivism and supporting successful reentry, we should work to dismantle the systemic barriers that prevent people with criminal records from rebuilding their lives. I have three suggestions. First, we should expunge criminal records from internet search results. In the U.S., if someone goes bankrupt, there is no searchable evidence of that bankruptcy after 10 years. However, if you make a mistake with something as simple as failure to appear in court or a charge of driving under the influence, your record appears in internet searches in perpetuity. These search engine results undermine even the most well-intentioned and best-prepared job applicants. This goes directly against the basic American ideal that everyone deserves a second chance. A sensible reform would involve requiring search engines and third-party data aggregators to remove criminal records from search results after a designated period, particularly for nonviolent offenses. If Google can tweak its algorithms to demote low-quality content in search results in an effort to combat 'fake news,' it can give people who have been incarcerated a way to expunge their online record after a period of time or through some fair process, helping individuals move on with their lives without their past defining their future. Second, we should provide tax credits to employers who hire individuals with criminal records. Financial incentives can be a powerful tool in encouraging businesses to do this. A federal tax credit program specifically designed for employers who hire formerly incarcerated individuals would reduce perceived risks and encourage companies to make these hires. Although the Work Opportunity Tax Credi t already offers some benefits, they are very limited in that they are available to employers of individuals who have been convicted of a felony or released from prison for a felony only within the last year. A system of tiered incentives based on retention rates could further encourage long-term employment and stability. Third, we should support entrepreneurship for people with criminal records. Not every citizen returning to life on the outside will find traditional employment opportunities, but entrepreneurship provides an alternative path. Starting a small business allows individuals to take control of their financial future and contribute positively to their communities. Unlike corporate hiring managers, customers rarely ask small-business owners about their criminal backgrounds. They care about the quality of the product or service. Entrepreneurship training programs and mentorship initiatives can help people with criminal records build sustainable businesses. My organization has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. By equipping individuals with practical skills and ongoing support, these programs reduce recidivism and foster economic growth. Second Chance Month serves as a reminder that redemption and rehabilitation are possible — but only if we remove the significant obstacles that stand in the way. Outside of people whose ancestors are from Africa, in America, all of our ancestors started anew and got a second chance. In this way, second chance is not a concept — it is central to what we are all about. Today, we are not living up to this basic principle. Brian Hamiltonis a nationally-recognized entrepreneur and the chairman of LiveSwitch. He is the founder of Inmates to Entrepreneurs, where he serves as the leading voice on the power of ownership to transform lives. He is well known for being the founder of Sageworks (now Abrigo), the country's first fintech company. He is also the star of 'Free Enterprise,' an award-winning show on ABC based on Inmates to Entrepreneurs.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Mexico eliminates parole fees
A criminal justice advocacy group praised the New Mexico governor's enactment of a new law it called a 'smart on crime initiative' to lift unnecessary financial barriers that stop people from returning home. (Photo by) Starting on June 20, New Mexicans who are on supervised release from prison will no longer have to pay parole fees under a new law Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed on Monday. The Fines and Fees Justice Center, a criminal justice advocacy group, praised Lujan Grisham's enactment of Senate Bill 375 in a news release on Tuesday morning, calling the new law a 'smart on crime initiative' to lift unnecessary financial barriers that stop people from returning home. The group said that parole supervision fees can prevent people from successfully reintegrating into their communities when they get out, racking up large debts for the families of people on supervision across the U.S. Under the old law, New Mexico charged between $25 and $150 per month, with a yearly cap of $1,800, and incarcerated people could not get out on parole until they paid the fees. About 2,400 New Mexicans were out on parole in 2023, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. 'Every dollar spent on a parole fee could have been a dollar put towards food, childcare or supporting local businesses,' New Mexico State Director Monica Ault said in a statement. 'Ending these fees isn't just the right thing to do — it's smart fiscal policy that can reinvigorate local economies.' Sen. Antonio 'Moe' Maestas (D-Albuquerque), who sponsored SB375, said Tuesday that ending parole fees 'lifts a huge financial burden off people who have already paid their debt, giving them a real chance to prioritize their families and rebuild their lives.' 'Family is everything to New Mexicans,' Maestas said in a statement. 'This law is the next step in our push to make our communities strong, safe, and prosperous for all.' New Mexico Corrections Department Cabinet Secretary Alisha Tafoya and her staff wrote the bill, the Fines and Fees Justice Center said. 'We believe that alleviating this financial burden will reduce recidivism by removing barriers for individuals transitioning from prison facilities to communities,' Tafoya Lucero said in a statement. 'This change allows them to, instead, direct their financial resources toward essential needs like housing and transportation, which are key elements for stability and avoiding criminal activity.' The Fines and Fees Justice Center noted on Tuesday that New Mexico joins dozens of state and local governments in eliminating harmful criminal legal system fees, including the state of Maryland, which scrapped certain supervision fees last October while the governor there erased more than $13 million in outstanding court debt. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Goodwill provides help after incarceration
Mar. 5—LIMA — According to the Prison Policy Initiative, Ohio has an incarceration rate of 621 per 100,000 people. Once these people have been released, it can be difficult to come back to daily life, but one coalition is helping these individuals find the resources they need to succeed. Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley is the lead agency of the Auglaize, Allen and Hardin County Re-entry Coalition that was formed in 2023 with funding from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Cindy Carusone, Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley's community outreach and engagement manager, mentioned that Goodwill shoppers also help fund the program. "Everybody knows us as a Goodwill store. They really don't understand what the store means, that for every revenue dollar our stores receive, 87 cents goes to support these programs, which is very vital to the community," Carusone said over the phone. Jennifer Bonifas, Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley's chief mission officer and vice president, said at one time the coalition had 30 nonprofits participating. Some partners still participating include Lima Municipal Court, ODRC, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, West Ohio Community Action Partnership and multiple addiction treatment centers. The group also partners with multiple employers, including Lima Pallet Company, Range Kleen, NK Parts Industries, Inc., Rudolph Foods Company, Procter & Gamble and Ford. Bonifas said the primary focus of the coalition is connecting formerly incarcerated individuals with employers — which also means helping with résumés and interviewing skills — but they can also assist with things like housing, transportation and getting IDs. The group's work starts at the local prison and jail before an inmate is released. "We are in Allen Correctional Institute," Bonifas said in a phone call. "They allow us to come in, our job developer goes in and she does job readiness classes with inmates who are pre-released. She'll work on their résumés with them, she'll start identifying career paths, if there's certifications that are needed she's trying to get a jump start on all those things, that way when they're released they know exactly where to go and exactly who they can connect with, so that's made placement for our returning citizens a much more fluid process." Bonifas said 131 people came through the program from the program's start in 2023 to the end of 2024 with 102 having a confirmed history of incarceration. Forty-seven of the 102 were placed into employment, and almost half of them were placed into jobs paying $18 an hour or more. Working with people after prison also doesn't abruptly end; Bonifas said the coalition typically keeps up with participants for 90 days afterward, but some of the relationships developed between staff and participants have lasted for years. One former inmate who has gotten help from the program is Daniel Pearl, 29, of Lima. He was incarcerated at the Allen Correctional Institution for 2 1/2 years for multiple charges, including drug possession, before his release in December. He found out about the program in prison before his release. "They've been helping me, Goodwill has, with what kind of success I wanted to have in life and what changes," Pearl said on the phone. Pearl said he was worried about finding housing before he was released, and Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley members have come with him to look for apartments once he gets a steady income. He interviewed at The Met restaurant Tuesday for a line cook position. "I looked for a job because I want to be successful, that's what I want to do, I want to be living a good life instead of going back to my old ways," he said. Pearl said he was involved in Narcotics Anonymous in prison and enjoys helping people, so he hopes to get back into that. He also gives out the coalition's information to people who could benefit from the resources they provide. "That's one thing I plan on doing in the near future is helping other recovering addicts out. That's one of my main goals," he said. Rob Nelson, a co-owner of The Met, said Pearl's interview went well. He said even if an applicant puts on their application that they have been arrested or have felonies, Nelson and his team will still interview them to see if they're a good fit. "We'll still bring them in and interview them, and we've had a number of people on our payroll over the years that have been incarcerated," he said in a phone call. "This person deserves to have a job. Obviously, if they're out, they've served their time... We don't want them to always have to wear the scarlet letter. "I think everyone needs a chance or a second chance. Let us be judged on our best days and not on our worst," he continued. "Sometimes people make a bad decision, and some of us may have made that same decision, so maybe not be as judgmental about people and where they've been and their past. We'd probably all have a better society for that." Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supporters of ending ‘slavery' in Kentucky line up behind Lexington lawmaker's bill
Patricia Gailey with Abolish Slavery Kentucky speaks to reporters about a proposal to remove from Kentucky's Constitution a clause allowing slavery for people convicted of crimes. Behind her, Savvy Shabazz listens. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) FRANKFORT — During the six and a half years Savvy Shabazz spent incarcerated in nine Kentucky institutions, he worked for as little as 63 cents a day. Now, he and others are pushing for an amendment to modernize Kentucky's Constitution, which currently permits slavery and indentured servitude for people convicted of crimes. Ratified in 1891, Chapter 25 of Kentucky's Constitution states that 'slavery and involuntary servitude in this state are forbidden, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.' 'The presence of the slavery clause and involuntary servitude in Kentucky's Constitution perpetuate a painful legacy of oppression and dehumanization,' Shabazz, whom Gov. Andy Beshear pardoned in 2020, said Tuesday during a Frankfort press conference. 'It serves as a stark reminder of a dark chapter in our nation's history when the fundamental rights of certain individuals like myself was systematically denied based on race,' Shabazz said. Rep. George Brown Jr., D-Lexington, has introduced a bill to strike that 'except' clause through a constitutional amendment. 'The 13th Amendment abolished slavery for all intents and purposes,' Brown said, 'but slavery still continues.' Patricia Gailey with Abolish Slavery Kentucky said the slavery clause causes many negative effects. It can 'filter up through the system, creating destruction of health, exploitation of resources, exploitation of labor, destruction of family, destruction of self agency, destruction of dignity, corruption, inhumane conditions, unsafe conditions, PTSD, increase in addictions, recidivism, all kinds of things that we don't really want,' she said. Shabazz has lived this, he said. Doing demolition work in Louisville for 60 cents a day put him at risk of long-term fallout, he said. 'Part of reentry into our society is to make sure that we are prepared to take care of ourselves and our families. So pay us a livable wage,' he said. 'What happens if I lose a limb while building or working inside of the institution? How will I take care of myself and my family once I'm released? If we're really talking about reentry, we have to remove that involuntary servitude and slavery clause and do what's right in Kentucky.' He sees Brown's House Bill 121 as a 'segue' into larger prison reform because, he said, 'we don't want to be a slave state.' Kentucky always has been, Gailey said. 'We've never been in a state without slavery… without involuntary servitude,' she said. 'From day one, prior to our first Constitution, this state has been a slave state. We need to change that.' About 37,000 Kentuckians are behind bars, according to Prison Policy Initiative data. The majority — 19,000 — are in state prisons. PPI data shows Black Kentuckians and Kentuckians of color are over-represented in detention. Kentucky is about 9% Black and 87% white, according to the United States Census Bureau. But prison populations are 21% Black and 76% white; prisoners in jails are 18% Black and 79% white, according to PPI. Brown said he's yet to have conversations with Republican lawmakers about the legislation, but hopes to do so when the legislature reconvenes next week to finish the 2025 session. 'My hope is that we'll have conversation with those members across the aisle,' he said. 'This is the 21st century. The 13th Amendment was filed or passed, adopted, in 1865. Do the math as to how many years we're talking about.' Should the General Assembly pass the bill, voters would need to weigh in next year. EJ was in middle school when he entered Kentucky Juvenile Justice Kentucky voters have a mixed record on changing the Constitution. In 2022 they struck down a proposed amendment that would have stated that there's no right to an abortion in Kentucky's Constitution. In 2024, they voted against another proposed amendment that would have opened a path for the Republican-controlled legislature to allow state dollars to flow to nonpublic schools, such as private or charter schools. They did, however, approve an amendment that further prohibits people who are not U.S. citizens from voting in Kentucky elections that same year. Brown filed this legislation in 2024, as well, and only Democrats signed on as cosponsors. It didn't get assigned a committee, making it effectively dead on arrival. Brown hopes for Republican cosponsors this year — and a committee hearing. So far his only other cosponsor is Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton, D-Louisville. Gailey urged lawmakers to take the Constitution's wording seriously. 'What other words in our Constitution are thought to be so insignificant that we could set that aside? None,' she said. 'We're talking about crimes against humanity here in our state. Until we remove this clause, because it's in our Constitution, we are all complicit in crimes against humanity, and I'm not OK with that, and I think that our conscientious lawmakers, if they stop to think about it, they would not be okay with that either. We need to move this legislation forward, and we need to do it now.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
