Trumpy,
Here are some disturbing statitics from the US Bureau of Justice website:
"In 2005, over 7 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole at yearend 2005 -- 3.2% of all U.S. adult residents or 1 in every 32 adults."
At that rate, it seems that everyone will have to deal with either working along side or hiring some one with legal issues of some sort. Does that mean 3.2% of the adult population in the United States are hardened criminals? Hardly. But the criminal justice system needs some work, IMO.
Federal proscecutors have a conviction rate in the high 90's, and in 2005 the federal prisons were running at 134% capacity. Lots of "victimless crimes" , although that isn't an accurate statement as my wife and children suffered plenty while I was gone. The point is, the system is punitive not rehabiltative, and with a recividism rate around 70% it's obviously not working. I'm not sure it's meant to. With more and more privatization of state and federal prisons, it has become a big business and with an overall inmate population growth rate of 3.3% annually from 1995 to 2005, it's not likley to slow down soon.
I've seen the system from the inside, and it is not geared to keep people from coming back. It's heartbreaking to see the potential and talent that goes to waste as young people put themselves into this machine that keeps them revolving in and out of prison for the rest of their lives. To me our tax dollars would be much better spent figuring out ways to keep the non-violent first time offenders out of prison than paying to keep them in for years and years. Programs on a federal level that actually educate and train some first time offenders would be a great start. I had a huge advantage as I had a trade before I got in trouble and had knew what I was going to do when I was released. Most of the other inmates with charges similar to mine didn't have this advantage, and would be back. I tought a class on basic electrical wiring while I was in there, and the response was very positive and the class was always full.I volunteered to teach the class and put the cirriculum together myself or it never would have happened. I was amazed that in a minimum security facility that was supposed to be preparing inmates for intergration back into society, there were no vocational programs available. Untill something is done about these types of things, the status quo won't change.
Maybe I've gone off on a bit of a tangent, but it is something I feel strongly about, and IMO pertains to the original post as the issue of hiring or not hiring ex-offenders is not going away untill some sort of reform in instituted in our state and federal justice systems.
I don't know what the system is like in NZ, but here it needs an overhaul
