Discovery of drug conviction
a likkle change, mi will buy likkle things and sell. Now that there is corona, mi plan fi start mi own business. I am going to register the business name. Mi ago try put it online and get mi daughter and few likkle young girls to model my things. I design pants, slippers and all kind a things,” Daley explained.
According to Gullotta, being shunned after rehabilitation forces women to jump into relationships with men because they become desperate in their penniless state. She said people who break the law must be punished, however these individuals should not have their past wrongs dangled over their heads for life.
“If your break the law you should get punished, but you cannot punish someone lifelong. This is happening every minute where women who were into the institution aren’t able to stay in a job because they are required to produce a police report. We hear a story like this one very often, where people who are fully rehabilitated, receive five subjects, go to HEART training and are well skilled, as soon as they apply for the job and the company learns that they come from a prison it becomes a no-no – even if they are highly qualified. There are some jobs they cannot do, like the police [work, which I understand].
“However, I want you to consider it as a contributor to violence and discrimination against women. These women left their children outside and they decided that they would use their time to achieve a better education and professional skill so they can help themselves when they go home. When a woman is depending on a man it is not a free relationship. It might even be an abusive [one] but you have to stay in that relationship because you can’t stand on your own. On the other hand, for the children it’s big trauma.”
Katrian Clarke, administrator at local human rights group Stand Up For Jamaica, shared that coming out of several workshops with human rights facilitators and attorneys, to fire someone just because of a criminal record is illegal, and persons who experienced this may have a case in a civil court.
“Based on several workshops that we have had with several human rights facilitators and attorneys, we were advised that it is illegal to fire someone just on the basis that they have a criminal record. As a matter of fact, sometimes when you go to make applications at certain businesses, you have to fill out an application form and some of these businesses will put on the applications form, the question of whether or not you have a criminal record or have been incarcerated before. The lawyers advised us that even if it is on that form, we are not obligated to say whether or not we were, and they can’t hold that against us.
“If it is a case where the indication is given that there is a record, that cannot be the basis on which they would fire you. If they do, you can bring a civil case against them in court. Based on the fact that a lot of these businesses are not educated on things like these, a lot of persons in Jamaica don’t know what their human rights are. Firing you based on the fact that you have a criminal record is violation of your human rights,” she insisted.