Corrections Employment Eligibility for Ex-Offenders

[Jus' Mom]

Anyone want to WORK for Corrections after BEING IN Corrections? If so, here's some info.

Corrections Employment Eligibility for Ex-Offenders Authority to Hire Ex-Offenders
Policies and statutes allow the vast majority of DOCs
to hire ex-offenders as employees, for at least some
positions. Just six (6) DOCs, including DOCs in three
(3) states as well as Cook County, Guam, and Saipan,
said they could not or would not hire any job applicant
with a criminal history.
State laws and DOC policies. Where restrictions
exist within statutes and policy, ex-offender eligibility
for hire is defined in two essential ways:
Permanent disqualification of the applicant,
often on the basis of the classification of the
offense committed or because of a conviction on
specific types of offenses. Permanent disqualifications
are the only defined restriction in nearly half
the responding agencies, including DOCs in 20
states and Cook County.
Time-limited disqualification of the applicant,
often on the basis of the classification of the
offense committed or on specific types of
offenses, and reflecting the perceived degree of
importance of the offense. In just three (3) DOCs
are time-limited restrictions are time-limited restrictions
the only type of restriction reported.
Other Approaches to Determining
Suitability for Correctional Employment
Where formal guidelines are absent, and also within
the context of structured guidelines in policy or
statute, DOCs may make case-by-case determinations
of the suitability of ex-offender applicants for hire.
Very often, discretion is allowed when hiring for positions
other than those automatically barred to
ex-offenders by statute or policy.
Factors that are commonly considered in the potential
hiring of ex-offenders include:
Length of time elapsed since offense;
Severity of offense;
Whether the conviction precludes use of a firearm
after completion of sentence;
Age of offender at time of offense; and
The actual duties required by the position sought
by the applicant.
Policies in Support of Ex-Offender
Employment Written policy, procedure, and practice provide
that the agency does not discriminate or exclude
from employment qualified ex-offenders.
[Comment:] Ex-offenders can be a valuable
resource and should not be discriminated against
when they seek employment with the agency.
Qualified applicants should have the opportunity
to prove that they can be productive employees.
(Mississippi DOC).
Applicants who are ex-inmates, misdemeanants or
felons, will be reviewed for hire by the
Employment Review Committee. Nothing in this
policy shall preclude the hiring of qualified exinmates.
The general policy for hiring includes a
close review, with consideration given to the
crime, sentence, institutional record and length of
time free from other convictions.
(Nebraska DOC)
It is the policy of the Department to support and
encourage all other employers to hire qualified
ex-offenders, and to set an example by hiring exoffenders
for any non-sensitive positions for
which they are among the best qualified candidates.
(Virginia DOC)
Since employment can be a key component of
rehabilitation, the Department will continue to
make strong efforts through its own hiring actions
to demonstrate to other employers the feasibility
of hiring persons with arrest and conviction
records. At the same time, the Department has a
responsibility to the public to ensure that the
Department’s correctional, rehabilitation, treatment
and administrative programs are carried out
in a legal, effective, safe and humane manner.
(Wisconsin DOC)
For correctional agencies considering a review of
their hiring restrictions and opportunities for exoffenders,
this report may provide food for thought.
Written materials provided by survey respondents are
available from the NIC Information Center.