Alexis Martin is a young woman who was failed by the system multiple times.
She was abused and forced into human trafficking as a teenager. She was denied her rights under Ohio’s Safe Harbor law to access services before facing legal proceedings. She was ultimately convicted for a robbery that led to her abuser’s death. Now out of prison, her bid for a new life hit yet another barrier: employment after incarceration.
The list of jobs that turned Martin down after a background check approaches the double digits: HVAC apprentice, two temp agencies, two delivery services, and a manufacturing job. Her story is all too familiar for many people who have paid their debt to society, only to encounter more roadblocks to getting a job and resuming a normal life. The U.S. Department of Justice says more than 600,000 Americans were released from state or federal prisons in 2018 and 2019. According to the National Employment Law Project, between 60%-75% of these former prisoners do not find a job up to a year after their release. This further fuels recidivism.
But companies that disqualify applicants based on criminal records are cheating themselves out of finding talent.
People with felony records constitute more than 8% of the U.S. population. That’s nearly 25 million people. Businesses cannot afford to disregard the skills and potential of those men and women, especially when many are well suited to the manufacturing sector. Especially when companies are struggling to retain experienced workers. This spring, for example, Koch Industries had 4,000 job openings, with 3,000 of those in manufacturing.
One important way companies can increase their talent pool is to “ban the box,” which reveals criminal history on initial job applications. Koch industries did that in 2015. We recognize it’s far more important to focus on each candidate’s qualifications and potential for the role, not on past mistakes.
To make a difference, corporate commitment must go beyond a job application to corporate strategy. For example, Koch Industries developed the “Creating Second Chances” strategy, which proactively guides our companies to recruit formerly incarcerated people. We work through community partnerships and referrals from reentry organizations and work release programs, and we seek to remove unintended barriers in hiring post-reentry. We refuse to disqualify a job seeker because of a criminal past. We ensure our employees with criminal records do not face discrimination in the workplace, and we have made this commitment public. We believe society benefits when every member is given the opportunity to contribute to his or her community positively.
This is more than just pleasant rhetoric: Between January and April of this year, we made 1,400 job offers to men and women who had past run-ins with the criminal justice system show up on their background checks.
Fortunately, plenty of companies share our commitment to serve and rehabilitate former inmates, some of which you can see every day on supermarket shelves.
After multiple stints in prison, the namesake of Dave’s Killer Bread, Dave Dahl, turned his life around and created a successful international brand. Today, Dave’s Killer Bread employs many formerly incarcerated people and is a champion of second-chance hiring.
Many hiring professionals are interested in joining this growing movement but often lack the information necessary to change employment practices. The Second Chance Business Coalition provides resources and education for employers to expand hiring for people with criminal records. SCBC shares experiences and expertise with business leaders, talent acquisition teams, and human resources professionals so other companies can pursue reentry hiring.
We are always looking for new members — and encourage other companies to join. Furthermore, we continually seek suppliers and customers who have similar second-chance programs to strengthen and broaden this cause nationwide.
Corporate leaders who seek to partner with their communities should consider joining us. This mission expands the talent pool available to employers and contributes to the dignity of our fellow citizens, helping men and women rebuild a future they once lost. It is a win-win for industry and society.
This is the land of second chances, and more businesses and people like Alexis are proving it every day.
John Buckley is the Outreach Strategies Manager for Koch Industries.
