Breaking down work barriers
Georgia Justice Project seminars help people with criminal records get hired
One in every 18 Georgia adults is on probation or parole — the highest ratio in the United States, according to a new report by the Pew Research Foundation.
And many more have had their names entered into the legal system somewhere.
“Forty percent of adults in Georgia have at least an arrest, and sometimes a conviction,” said Brenda Smeeton, legal director for the Georgia Justice Project.
The Atlanta-based nonprofit held seminars in Rome last week, backed by the Georgia Department of Corrections, at the Goodwill of North Georgia career center on Hicks Drive.
The morning session was aimed at local employers and community leaders. The afternoon session drew more than 50 attorneys, probationers and parolees to hear how people with criminal records can reduce their barriers to finding a job.
Smeeton said 90 percent of employers in the state conduct background checks on potential employees.
The good news for would-be workers with records, though, is that the labor market is continuing to tighten.
“Employers are increasingly telling us they’re hiring people with a record … But they’re treating (applications) like an honesty test,” she said.
That means don’t leave out a conviction but, rather, “practice talking about it before your interview,” she added.
An encouraging sign is an international movement to “Ban the Box,” referring to eliminating a box job applicants are asked to check if they have a criminal record.
“It’s taking the question off the first phase of the application and moving it to a different stage of the
‘Employers are increasingly telling us they’re hiring people with a record … But they’re treating (applications) like an honesty test.’
interview process,” Smeeton explained.
The state of Georgia has adopted the federal fair hiring law that prohibits its departments and agencies from automatically refusing to consider applicants with records. The Rome and Floyd County commissions also approved the policy in recent years.
But, while some states have passed more comprehensive laws, it doesn’t apply to private companies.
“We are seeing more national employers doing it, though, because they don’t want to have different hiring processes in different states,” Smeeton said.
A criminal record — typically created during any “finger printable arrest” — also can affect other areas of a person’s life, such as housing. The Georgia Justice Project worked with state lawmakers on reforms that lifted some restrictions, including on driver’s licenses, food stamps and occupational licenses.
“Licensing boards are required to consider the nature of a conviction, the time elapsed and its relevance to the license being sought,” Smeeton said.
Several other reforms provide ways to expunge or seal arrest records, and the organization is working with state lawmakers to add options for some misdemeanor convictions.
Meanwhile, the group is traveling around the state to make the business case for hiring people with criminal records who are trying to re-establish themselves in society.
“It’s good for the employer, it’s good for the economy and it’s good for the community,” Smeeton said.
Studies show employment is the strongest antidote to reoffending, she said. The retention rate is generally equal to or higher than those without a record and employers such as Butterball Farms report that their employees with records are more motivated and loyal.
There also are incentives and liability protections for employers, including nocost federal bonds issued by the Georgia Department of Labor. State and federal tax incentives also are available for hiring people within a year of their release from jail.
“We don’t believe a conviction should be a lifetime sentence,” Smeeton said.