Another Chance for Felon

psrcello

About two months ago, we rehired a former employee who had just been released from a stint in prison to a halfway house. He has been performing beautifully since then, and we were glad to have offered him another chance.

However, we got a call from him last night that said he wouldn't be in to work, because he had been confined on house arrest to the halfway house.

His manager contacted the halfway house this morning to find out what was up. The counselor there wouldn't give out any details, but she did say that he'd gotten himself into some real trouble, and that they were going to be deciding whether they could even keep him there, or whether he needed to go back to prison. The manager thinks that there may have been a threat of violence that got him locked up.

The question - if they should decide to let the employee stay in the halfway house and give him a work release, do we expose our other employees to an unsafe work environment? We really know nothing about what his situation is all about, other than the manager's "hunch".

Balloonman

You already gave him a second chance...........what makes you think the third time will be a charm? I believe in giving second chances, but I would hold him to the attendance policy and terminate once he gets to that point.
My $0.02 worth!
DJ The Balloonman

Don D

Hunch? What's the value of a hunch these days? IF you learn that he is able to return to work, sit him down and ask him what's up. Tell him you expect total honesty. Also tell him and his counselor that you will not consider retaining him unless they both reveal the details to you, period. If they pull this confidentiality thing, terminate him. He can authorize them to converse with you or they can have a conversation with him in your presence. Based on what he did to get himself hauled back in and how that relates to your work environment, use your best judgement.

marc

I have mixed feelings about these second chances. Earlier threads have a bunch of opinions, but the high percentage of recidivism (something like 8 or 9 out of 10) is staggering and makes one ponder the sense of giving second chances.

That said, there are those who need another chance and who will do well.

The theory behind halfway houses looks solid, the reality is something altogether different. The people who live in them are not your ordinary citizens. If one believes the recidivism statistics, one can see the size of the hill the person wanting to reform must climb.

Just for fun, if you are this person and you are sitting at a table of 10 having dinner at the halfway house, all of the people sitting with you will commit new crimes and be back behind bars in very short order. Think what it must be like to live in one of these houses. Not the best atmosphere to pull off a reform.

In any case, I have hired two ex-felons in my career. One worked out the other did not. I learned my lesson on the one that did not. Because of those lessons, the second one I hired got a big speech and some conditions laid out regarding our expectations. We did have a spot of trouble during his year in the halfway house, but were able to work through it. In this case there was some trouble with another resident, but the counselor at the house went to bat for our guy and basically laid all the trouble caused at the feet of the other resident (who returned to prison by the way).

Long story, but I would say be crystal clear about your raised expectations for an EE to whom you are giving this kind of chance and follow through. If it works out, you may end up with one of your best, most loyal employees. After all, who else is going to hire an ex-felon who had employment issues?

Don D

Marc, Ole Buddy, you got a bit preachy there. x:-) A marine friend tells me 'There ain't no such thing as an ex-Marine'. I guess, as a point of order, according to Webster's, the same applies to felons. Not, one who used to commit felonies but now thinks he might not again. The employer has every right to assess the risk of having the felon on the property as an employee and owes it to the business and it's other employees to give real serious thought to the idea of hiring one. x:-)

marc

Yes, I am guilty of getting up on the old pulpit on occasion. I am a person that believes in second chances and roots for underdogs. If one is thinking about the best interests of the company, it is hard to justify hiring felons and one should not embark on such a journey without careful consideration and planning.

If I take off my HR hat for a second and just talk about a big picture, we must be able to incorporate these individuals into the world of living by the law. If we cannot, then all sentences should be for life because 90% of them are always going to be criminals. If you are part of the other 10% that is just too bad. One bad decision and you will pay forever. Even if you get let out of prison, you will not be able to work because companies will not hire you.

Parabeagle

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-02-04 AT 04:09PM (CST)[/font][br][br]Marc's comments are doubly significant if you take into account the fact that 2% of the population of the United States is behind bars. These people (most of them) will at some point be re-released into society.

edit: Sorry, that almost sounded like a liberal talking, but I'm not. x;-)

TN HR

After reading all replies and re-reading the original post, I think the thread strayed from the original question. In my opinion, the real question derived from the fact that there is speculation that it was a "threat of violence" that created this problem at the halfway house and the potential exposure if you allow someone with violent tendencies back to work.

Are you sure this was the problem? I have experience with hiring low-level positions out of half-way houses and work release programs. My experience has been that depending on the circumstances, missing curfew by five minutes is grounds for violating that person's parole (had a maintenance mechanic who had to go before the judge again on a violation for arriving, on time, after work but failing to sign-in).

My advice is to review this situation in it's own merit and make an informed decision from there. Don't speculate or jump to conclusions.

Balloonman

So what did you decide?
My $0.02 worth!
DJ The Balloonman

psrcello

Well, he's still employed by us. His manager and I spoke to the counselor at the halfway house and, just as Don D suggested, indicated that we needed full disclosure of what caused his brief house arrest. The employee and counselor were both very up-front - he'd gotten into a heated discussion with another resident, but nothing that resulted in physical violence or assault. Since our concern was mostly the safety of his fellow employees, we were satisfied with the outcome of the discussion.

Despite the recidivism statistics, this is one guy that I think just might make it.

ritaanz

In my other life, I also hired people who lived in halfway houses. The counselors I dealt with cooperated with me every time. There is no reason for them not to give you complete and honest information. They are appreciative that you have offered employment to one of their residents and want them to keep their jobs, if at all possible.