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My brother can't get a job anywhere because of criminal convictions. What can he do? |
Over the past 3 years, he has a felony and several lesser convictions against him including a DUI. All others are related to possesion. He's also spent 4-5 months over the past year in jail. He applied for several entry level, minimum wage job at places like home depot and walgreens. Nobody would hire him after doing the background investigation. He has turned his life around but now he can't even get a job at a mc. donalds. What options are left? It seems kind of sad to me that we live in a society where after making a few mistakes you're pretty much forced to become a begger or homeless. Fortunately my parrents have let him stay with them but this isn't a long term solution. What can he do to get out of this hole? How long do those convictions show up on his record? Is there any hope for him? Are there any jobs that will hire a person in his situation? Trust me, if my low life half-brother can still manage to get jobs after being convicted of two felonies and several misdemeanors, then I don't think your brother will have a problem. The felony will stay on his record forever, unless he appeals to your state's governor after some time (we're talking years, 5-10) and if he keeps out of trouble. It's not often a governor will expunge a felony. As for the lesser convictions, it might depend on the state, maybe 5-7 years. Perhaps he should try going to the unemployment office. He cannot get unemployment benefits, but they may allow him to use their job placement services. He might also be able to work in construction. If he's good with tools or doesn't mind doing heavy lifting, they may be able to use him. Another option would be to perform odd or handyman jobs around the area. I believe people deserve a second chance, too; and sometimes third chances. By the way, what I said about my half-sibling. He's been out of prison for nine years now and still can't get his life straight. He continues to lie, cheat, and steal, all the while thinking he can get away with it. I wish your brother the best of luck and sincerely hope he doesn't do the same thing my brother did. I think it may be illegal, but he can pay to have his records sealed. My mom did that. I think her's were sealed by a politition that she did volunteer work for. Was he honest about his criminal history on the applications? If not, that's why he didn't get hired - not simply because he has a bad history. He could ask his parole officer for some advice, I'm sure they know which companies hire ex-cons. I'm sorry that he's still paying for his mistakes, but just because someone has gotten out of jail, doesn't mean they've learned their lesson. People need to understand that trust should be earned. He's got a lot of proving to do, but being homeless or a beggar isn't his last resort. My friend who used to work at a car dealership as a manager said that he hired those with criminal convictions. So perhaps, he can try that. Here's what I found on the web: How to Get a Job With a Criminal Record 1. Prepare while you are in prison. While serving time take advantage of the many opportunities to get your G.E.D., start or complete your college education, or get vocational training. Good preparation is especially important if you have been away from the outside world for an extended time, if you have limited job skills and experience, or if you will not be able to return to your previous area of employment (for example, if you were a bank teller and were convicted of theft, you probably will no longer be able to work in banking). 2. Take advantage of education or job training programs that may be available to you. Government agencies and non-profit organizations provide a host of opportunities for all job seekers to get more training or education. The experience and skills you develop in these programs can make a big difference in the success of your job search. There are also such programs targeted specifically to people who have recently been released from prison. These programs usually also help you find a job during the program and after completion. 3. Eliminate jobs for which your record will automatically disqualify you. Your record may automatically disqualify you for some positions, especially government jobs requiring security clearances, military jobs, positions with fiduciary responsibility (e.g., insurance or banking), and jobs working with children. If you avoid wasting time on jobs you cannot possibly get, you鈥檒l be able to focus on real opportunities and you鈥檒l be less likely to get discouraged. Most importantly, though, do your research. Don鈥檛 just assume that your record will disqualify you from a certain job. 4. Be realistic. Honestly evaluating your qualifications is important for all job seekers. You need to find something that fits you and your skill level, and if you consistently apply for jobs for which you don鈥檛 have the right skills, you鈥檒l quickly become discouraged. 5. Start small and work your way up. Understand that when a person sees your record, he or she may be reluctant to hire you for a position with a lot of responsibility. That same person, however, may be more than willing to give you a chance in another (usually lower-paid) position. In addition, it鈥檚 important to understand that the biggest obstacle may be the gap in your employment history, not simply your conviction. If you want to return to your previous career, it鈥檚 likely that business processes and tools may have changed substantially since you left your last position, so you鈥檒l probably need to take a step down to gain more training. Get your foot in the door, especially with a company or in a field that can lead to better opportunities in the future. 6. Learn about the employment laws in your state and/or country. In some countries (including the U.S.), employers generally cannot automatically disqualify you based solely on an arrest or even a conviction (if the nature of the crime is relevant to the job, however, they may lawfully base an adverse hiring decision on this). This is why applications that ask if you鈥檝e been arrested or convicted of a crime usually have a disclaimer stating that a 鈥測es鈥?answer may not necessarily prevent you from being hired. Know your rights, and consult an attorney or make an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint if an employer unlawfully discriminates against you. 7. Be honest about your history. It can be tempting to lie when an application asks if you鈥檝e been arrested or convicted of a crime. Avoid the temptation: not only is this dishonest, chances are the lie will be discovered. Most employers now conduct some sort of background check, and if they find that you have been dishonest on the application you will almost certainly not be hired. If you鈥檝e already been hired and the lie is discovered later, you can be fired for it. In addition, lying on some applications (such as for military enlistment) is a criminal offense. 8. Know what to answer on applications. Some states and countries now prohibit employers from asking about certain offenses, offenses that are over a certain number of years old, or arrests that did not result in a conviction. Your research on employment laws should help you know what questions you have to answer. In addition, be sure to answer only the specific question that is asked. For example, if the application asks if you鈥檝e been convicted of a crime, you don鈥檛 need to put down an arrest that did not result in a conviction. If a conviction has been sealed or expunged from your record, or if you pled guilty to an offense and completed a pre-trial diversion program (i.e. deferred adjudication) that resulted in no conviction, you may not need to report these either. Be aware, however, that when enlisting in the military or certain federal government positions, you must report all offenses, even those that have been expunged or sealed. 9. Explain your answer if asked about convictions or arrests. Job applications and interviewers will give you an opportunity to explain the circumstances behind the offense or alleged offense. Be sure to take this opportunity if giving more information about the offense may be helpful. 10. Try to get an offense sealed or expunged from your record. Ask your attorney, public defender, or parole / probation officer whether you may be able to get the offense removed from your record so that you can legally and ethically answer 鈥渘o鈥?to conviction questions. 11. Employ yourself. If you鈥檙e willing to work extra hard and you have marketable skills or abilities you may be able to make your own opportunities. You could start a yard maintenance business or provide contract IT services to companies, for example. You are limited only by your imagination. Think about what you鈥檙e good at and what you like doing, and go for it. You鈥檒l probably need to have another job while you鈥檙e getting your business on its feet, but if your record has you stuck in dead-end jobs, you might as well take a chance. 12. Consider joining the military. Some people think that the military will take just about anyone, while some think that you can鈥檛 get in at all with a criminal record. In the U.S., they鈥檙e both wrong. The military is selective, but depending on the type and number of offenses and the length of time since an offense, you may be able to get a waiver that will allow you to enlist. If you don鈥檛 live in the U.S., your country鈥檚 military may have more or less stringent policies. Before you enlist, consider the potential dangers of joining the military, but also consider the benefits. The military can provide job training and instill discipline if you have trouble motivating yourself. http://www.wikihow.com/get-a-job-with-a-... There are small employers who are not regulated by state law that prohibit convicted felons from being hired that will take him... construction, some local lumberyards, etc. He can ask to have his record expunged after a certain amount of time, but he's got a few years of clean living ahead of him before he's even eligible for that option. Yea, it does suck that the system works like this. Totally hypocritical for a system based on "rehabilitation," isn't it? I did some searching online, and there are services that you can pay to get your records expunged. One big one: http://www.removeit.org/index.html... I looked them up on the Better Business Bureau website, and they had a decent rating. http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?nation... I would call them up though and see what they say. I wouldn't fork over $200-400, but they would probably tell him whether or not he'd be eligible for getting his records expunged. Then I'd look up the state the convictions were in and see what the process is for expunging records and just do it on your own. Generally, services like that just do the legwork for stuff you could do on your own if you had the right information. |
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