Employment and Entrepreneurship for Returning Citizens

Staff of Clean Decisions, a company providing employment opportunities for Returning Citizens

I came across two stories on the Facebook feed about companies in the District that make a point of hiring Returning Citizens.   This interests me because most of the folks who come into the Potomac Gardens Community Resource Center to use the computer lab to search for jobs and/or create a résumé also have criminal records.  Regardless of how old the offense or how ridiculous the charge most employers don’t give them a second look.  One woman, we’ll call her “Helen,” is still haunted by an assault charge.   Sounds bad right?  What happened was that she got into a fist-fight with a neighbor that resulted in some scratches and bruises.  The yelling was enough to get the police called and both of them arrested.  That was twenty years ago.   “Helen” was asked about her record during the interview for the part-time cafeteria position which she’s held for the last fifteen years.  Obviously, they gave her the job despite her scrap with the neighbor.   But she’s been looking for a second part-time job on and off for the last decade and can’t get to the interview stage.   She thinks it’s the felony charge.  Frankly, so do I.

The passage of the Ban the Box Bill in the District of Columbia last year should have made it easier for Returning Citizens and even those like “Helen” who didn’t go to prison to get an interview.  Employers aren’t allowed to ask about an applicant’s criminal history until after a conditional offer of employment has been made.   Of course, there’s nothing to stop potential employers from conducting background checks on their own at any point during the hiring process.  So, finding employers who are willing to hire residents who have records is crucial.

The following is a report by WUSA9 about the Courtyard Marriott Convention Center hotel in downtown D.C.

Another story Cleaning Up Their Act: A Clean Break for Ex-Cons about Clean Decisions, a company that helps violent ex-offenders find temporary jobs, allowing them to gain experience and build their resumes.  These stories are great but two employers willing to hire Returning Citizens is hardly enough to make a dent in the problem.  According to Anne Clark writing for NextCity.org :

The nation’s prison system grew by 400 percent after 1980, but with overcrowding and depleted budgets, more and more people are being released, mostly to urban cores. About 700,000 people — more than the entire population of D.C. — come home from prisons across the country every year. They face debilitating challenges in securing housing, jobs and transit, all of which contributes to recidivism and the most ubiquitous of urban challenges: crime and homelessness.

Between 2008 and 2014, the number of D.C. residents in prison dropped by 41 percent, with about 8,000 people returning home each year. About half of them will be back behind bars within three years, according to Thornton. Altogether, around 70,000 D.C. residents have criminal records. That’s nearly 10 percent of the total population.

Clearly, the few employers willing to hire Returning Citizens is not enough.  Another approach is the Returning Citizens Business Development Program Act of 2015 which would establish a business development program within the Office On Returning Citizens Affairs that would assist in funding businesses owned, operated, or managed by returning citizens.  The bill is sponsored by At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange.  I came across it in researching this article, but don’t see any stories by the mainstream press or any action in support of the legislation by advocates or activists.  Perhaps the bill will pick up steam in the coming months.