More dumb question for you in the"know". My husband was given a form to fill out for halfway house. He is supposed to have a job before he can go to a halfway house. How can you get a job if your not out and pounding street.? Can he get help from someone?somewhere? or is it up to us the family to find him a job? How can we do that if we don't knw when he will be out? Any suggestions asto what kind of employers are out there standing in line for ex-cons?? Don't mean to sound soooo negative but weall know no one is banging down the doors for ex-cons. Any suggestions???

blu,

I know that it is difficult for Inmates re-entering society to find jobs... It is a fact of life especially in the USA that criminal background checks are now a mainstay and we really have no way to fight this situation!

Criminal Background Checks are an interesting thing too. It is up to the employer to have a policy as to what kind of criminal record is a threat to their company and what is not. Now this is a subjective decision and although I find this subjectiveness a discriminatory practice I have to admit that I don't know the law when it comes to denial of a job based on criminal activity. I just know that this is a regular practice today. I have seen one employer in a similar industry hire an individual for a non violent crime in their past and another employer reject the same individual? You never know what the reaction will be until you put the application forward.

Anyway, with that said, I have a considerable background in the "staffing industry" and know that a lot of hiring practices are suspect even when a criminal background check is not done...

Now not knowing what the crime is, nor am I asking, my suggestion is this... If your husband needs to be working when he is released then my suggestion is that he approach "Day Labor" and "Temporary Staffing Agencies" that have General Labor positions available. In most markets in the US these agencies are crying out for people to fill the demand that they have. Day Labor agencies basically have a pool of people that arrive every day and they are sent where ever the need is for whatever job. Temporary agencies may offer a short or long term position depending on the skill and availability of the person.

In any event, this could be a quicker way to get your husband working immediately on release and as long as he "performs" he will always be asked back by the agency. This kind of work may not be the dream job, but it is quick and relatively painless to apply and get placed, and you and your husband can then continue to look for longer term permanent employment while he is working for agencies.

Most agencies do not do a background check just by applying but only if it is mandated by the employer that they are servicing.

Hope that this helps!

Teb, Hi thanks for your reply, but If I'm not mistaken, my husband said he had to have a job already lined up before he would be given permission to go to a halfwa house. I don't know if showing up fo day labor is considered"having a job waiting for you" is it? I just found outabout his being able to go to a halfway house (as did he). He said it might be about January..which seems far off but not if you have to start looking for a job when you can't go to any interviews. Seems kind of weird ..how can you get a job if you can't get to the prospective employer before hand. Any suggestions are appreciated. Regards, blu

Why don't you start with talking to his counselor where he is assigned to now? I am sure that his counselor should play a key role in your husband being placed at a halfway house. He/She would certainly know what criteria your husbands needs to meet in order to become eligible and stay eligible for residence at a halfway house facility. So pick his/her mind for possible ideasd and see what they may have come up with. This needs to be a coordinated effort on the parts of all parties involved. Let us know!

Thanks,
AK

Originally posted by Tha#1Stunna
Why don't you start with talking to his counselor where he is assigned to now? I am sure that his counselor should play a key role in your husband being placed at a halfway house. He/She would certainly know what criteria your husbands needs to meet in order to become eligible and stay eligible for residence at a halfway house facility. So pick his/her mind for possible ideasd and see what they may have come up with. This needs to be a coordinated effort on the parts of all parties involved. Let us know!

Thanks,
AK

I see what your concern is... I agree however with what AK said and talk to the case worker to see what is actually required.

Thanks everyone for answering me....will do first thing Monday a.m Regards

IF your husband will talk to his pre release counselor, they should have the name snd phone # of a person who has a list of companies that hire people with felony convictions. I know that they have at least one " job counselor " for each region of Mississippi ( north, central and South ). Lots of luck!!

Thank you all for your responses. I told my husband what everyone said, unfortunately his counselor is "on vacaion" for now. Will try to get some info from him when he gets back.