Hiring Ex-Felons Hiring Ex-Offenders:

An Analysis of Various Viewpoints

The problem of poverty in the United States is not only devastating, but also very widespread. From big cities to small cities, from New York to Alabama, poverty statistics are startling. To make things worse, the current economic situation has raised the statistics to almost 20% in some states. That's 20% of people living below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The reason this is important to mention is because, especially in bigger cities, many of those living in poverty, and therefore many of the homeless are ex-convicts. This is because these individuals are not only at risk but have also been forgotten by society due to the fact that they were convicts. This is precisely the reason why, for the sake of safety on the streets and the sake of giving all opportunity, the government and private business must institute policies that allow the hiring of ex-convicts. It is only in this way that society can better itself, that it can move forward. This paper will thus present a variety of viewpoints, both pro and against hiring ex-offenders, and will demonstrate that hiring these people is the right thing to do.

Hiring ex-convicts is not that uncommon a practice. In fact, there are a variety of companies that already do this. They include, American Airlines, Best Western and Epson, among others. Yet the list of companies that do hire ex-felons is relatively short, when one compares this to the total number of companies out there. Furthermore, not all of these companies hire all kinds of convicts.

For this reason as well it is important to have a clear idea of who can be hired, if not all ex-convicts.
There are many efforts around the country as well that can help bring about hiring of ex-convicts. As recently as December 6, and article on Fox 10 TV called for the hiring of ex-felons. In this said article, the news site stated that "Farmers all across the state of Alabama say they are facing a shortage of workers, and some say it's because of the new immigration law. In a meeting Tuesday, the Alabama Agriculture Department suggested farmers hire ex-felons to help fill the void."

The website even gives contact information so that farmers can indeed call and start implementing this process, which is very helpful.

From the evidence above, it seems that much of the public is indeed interested in helping put this kind of legislation into motion. Yet what are the arguments exactly? Those who are against hiring convicts state that hiring such employers will put at risk both coworkers and consumers who must rely on these people with past criminal histories, who can at any time revert back to bad behavior. Thus, it is nearly impossible for ex-convicts to attain a job, as many laws have been enacted, in many states, that still make it very difficult for ex-offenders to obtain employment or re-employment. According to a study, "although many of these laws have been in existence for years, obstacles to ex-offenders have recently proliferated as legislators have expanded the statutory authority of noncriminal justice agencies and…