"A felony conviction or imprisonment significantly reduces the ability of ex-offenders to find jobs, costing the U.S. economy an estimated $57 to $65 billion annually in lost economic output." -Prison Legal News
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"I took a resume writing class in prison, went to a job fair, and did practice interviews all in preparation for my release. In all the classes they told us to be honest and check the box [that asks if you have ever been convicted of a crime] and when it came up to just let employers know, 'Yeah, I made a mistake. I was in prison. I need a second chance. I will work hard.' I tried all that, it didn't work. All the people saw was that criminal record. Finally, I lied and checked 'no' in the box and the temp agency I started working for hired me. They placed me at this factory and eventually the factory hired me on full-time due to my work habits. It's not a good job, but it pays the bills and got me out of that halfway house." -Trell, a 30 year old African-American man from St. Louis
The "ban the box" movement emerged in 2004, and it's spreading, but only 16 states have adopted it so far, along with about 100 cities. An estimated two-thirds (68 percent) of 405,000 prisoners released in 30 states in 2005 were arrested for a new crime within three years of release from prison. |