Equal Opportunities for the Ex-convicts

When an incarcerated person is released back into society, they are met with a new world or way of life that is more difficult for them to adjust to, potentially denying them the opportunity to be active members of society. It is well established that nearly seventy percent of released prisoners are re-arrested, and nearly eighty percent of them are arrested within five years. The repetition of the offense affects the people both their families and the community at large, as the public is forced to pay taxes just to back up or sustain a broken system of governance that does not follow up the criminals after being freed to make sure that they succeed (Pettit, 2014). It has been difficult for them to find employment that they will use to get an income to support their daily lives in the nation. For instance, there are many bills as well as common barriers that deter them from getting hired which makes them lack the income to support themselves which in turn provides them with an environment that causes them believe that doing wrong will save the mess. However, this article tries to point out that the x-convicts have been offered equal chances as other people in the community after five years since they were released back into the society.

First, the ex-convicts have been given an equal opportunity to securing better houses in different parts of the nation. It is because, after five years, the ex-convicts are believed to have dealt with their problems and have reformed their behaviors thereby making them be in a better position to live peacefully with others in the community. Moreover, it after this period that people doubt about them being viewed as sub-citizens and wrongly linked to crimes that they have not committed, seems to have gone away (Pettit, 203). This, therefore, gives the people reassurance that the ex-offender has been changed and is now one of the proficient members of the community. This is also because the prison system tends to have eyes on the person after being freed to make sure that they do not get back to wrongdoing again.

Secondly, the ex-offenders have also equal chances of getting jobs in the society. I tend to believe that some of them are not employed because the legal system is broken and is set to see them get back to prison. For instance, the hiring legislation tends to issue a tax break to organizations which hire freed convicts, which to me is just another way of denying them a chance to get jobs just like the other people in the society (Todd, 725). Some of the ex-convicts have great qualifications which can see them only have an equal chance of getting the job as much as the people in the community. However, these legislations have been reviewed, and there is criminal record clearance bill which has seen most of the ex-convicts after proving to have reformed get cleared of their records. This has seen most of them have a high chance of getting jobs, access to social amenities such as hospitals and even residential houses. They have also been given an opportunity to cover for all the ex-prisoners to gain access to the opportunities that are present in the community without any restriction from the society or the government.

Works Cited

Pettit, Becky, and Christopher Lyons. “Status and the stigma of incarceration: The labor market effects of incarceration by race, class, and criminal involvement.” Barriers to reentry (2017): 203-226.

Todd, James R. “It’s Not My Problem: How Workplace Violence and Potential Employer Liability Lead to Employment Discrimination of Ex-Convicts.” Ariz. St. LJ 36 (2014): 725.