What Does It Take To Employ Those With Criminal Records?
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Contributing Writer
Employment barriers for individuals with criminal records might initially seem enormous, but numerous options now exist for those formerly arrested to gain work force reentry, officials familiar with the issue noted during a Friday seminar.
The solution, said Scott Peyton, regional director for Right On Crime Collaboration, involves building a partnership among prospective employers, community leaders and citizens to assist ex-inmates with reintegration into the work force.
Sponsored by Southwest Louisiana Community College and hosted by the St. Landry Chamber of Commerce, the brief presentation included active participation by members of law enforcement, criminal advocacy programs, parish economic development officials and representatives of non-profits and the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
Peyton emphasized that unemployment for those once incarcerated is a major factor in criminal recidivism.
Erasing the stigma attached to hiring those once on the wrong side of the law however requires a sufficient buy-in from a number of stakeholders, including citizens and employers, Peyton stressed.
“What we would like everyone to consider is that persons with criminal records can be put back to work with the type of work that they can do,” Peyton said.
Recent figures, Peyton said, indicate that the unemployment rate in St. Landry is 5.3 percent. That figure is about two percent higher than the state average, Peyton added.
For those who have criminal records, it is normally five times harder for them to become reemployed, said Peyton.
Reentering the workforce is often difficult for those formerly incarcerated, Peyton added. There are also resource issues such as transportation and communication to consider, he noted.
Representatives from the state Workforce Commission said there are tax credits available for employers that hire those who have committed crimes.
In addition the Commission will also provide individuals with job training and assistance locating employers that are willing to provide jobs for those with criminal records.
The United Way in St. Landry and Evangeline Parish also feature programs and other non-profit organizations such as Goodwill Industries have job assistance programs.
SLCC has established a partnership with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Department to provide training for welders who those previously behind bars at the facility.
Kyle Pitre, a regional reentry program manager for the Department of Public Safety and Corrections told those attending that in the Evangeline, St. Landry and Allen parish areas, the plight of former inmates seeking jobs is not as hopeless as it might appear.
“Employers do call me. They tell me they are always looking for good people. Work for these inmates involves the people who have businesses,” Pitre said.
In addition to making arrests, Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc said his department is also sensitive towards providing those accused of breaking the law to obtain second chances.
“If a person gets turned down (for a job), that means they could go back to selling drugs. The people who buy the drugs never do turn him down. Some people have just become victims of their own circumstances and they are going to do what it takes to survive,” LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc also emphasized that he is a proponent of helping the once imprisoned individuals and providing them with the tools necessary to receive employment.
“When you do that, you might just see someone that was once in trouble get to survive,” said LeBlanc.
