
There is a political movement afloat to grant felons the special status that women, minority group members and homosexuals have from employment discrimination.
They want so-called, ex-offenders to be able to enter the workplace despite the despicable acts that gave them the Mark of Cain. We are talking about killers, rapists, robbers and thieves. Imagine having a small business and being forced to hire someone that frightens you and your employees?
If they succeed in obtaining this kind of protection, the job seeking felons you turn away will be able to file lawsuits against you.
The majority of felons are career criminals. Some argue that they have no choice but to return to crime because they are denied jobs. I will never claim to know the answer. The answer is not allowing society’s predators to invade your company and then prey on your company’s clients.
I’m requested by people to perform background investigations every day. I inform them that if they tell me in advance that these investigations are for pre-employment purposes I tell them about the tight constraints the FTC places on me and how they can use the information. As a result I get a lot of requests for these investigations for “other” purposes.
Felons do need to have shelter and food like everyone else and today’s information age makes that difficult. Who then has to hire these folks and for what jobs?
I have had to lobby the Arizona Legislature to keep them from letting felons work as private investigators. Allowing felons to be PI’s would be enabling and facilitating professional extortionists into a world where trust is paramount. From time to time I get a celebrity client and learn information that the tabloids would pay me more than the clients did for my services. My personal ethics cause me to work even harder to prevent that kind of a breach. Their secrets must be safe with me. What about people that have a history of ethical failure?
Before fingerprints were used as identification felons could change their name move to another town and get elected as the Sheriff, Mayor or Governor. We were very caviler in the old days. An armed robber would be arrested, have his gun taken, be convicted in court, go to prison and at the expiration of his sentence their guns were actually returned to the felons by prison staffers..
We should be replacing the illegal aliens we’ve not been deporting with felons out in the fields. Felons should be only allowed to work with other convicts or those who don’t have a problem with this group.
As I say this there are those rare exceptions where the crime was a one-time thing and rehabilitation is evident. On a case by case basis business owners may want to take a gamble on hiring someone with an ugly past. That should be the choice of the business owner.
Time periods are often conducive to behavior change. If an offender can stay clean for a decade after release from prison that’s a sign of success. Age is also a factor because often maturity helps reduce impulsive behavior.
I don’t care what happens I will protect my clients from criminals wherever and whenever I can.