Every year America locks up more than 6 million people, many of them Black men, for lengthy prison sentences. But most of these men and women are eventually released back into their communities, where they face an uphill struggle to find employment and readjust to life on the outside.
Long Beach native “Dee” Davis is a former gang member who was jailed on manslaughter and second-degree attempted murder charges. He was released from jail in August 2014 and, like a lot of former inmates, has had a hard time finding employment.
He said one of the biggest obstacles is getting people to give him a second chance.
“A lot of people look at us like we’re still those people doing bad,” Davis said.
He has found seasonal work at a youth camp, but is still looking for full-time employment.
Davis said his record has been a major hindrance in finding employment. He said he has been turned down from by almost all of the jobs he has applied for.
He is in favor of “banning the box”—the initiative to remove the box on job applications that ask whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony. This is a major barrier to former inmates finding employment. According to a 2012 report from the Society for Human Resource Management, 69 percent of employers conduct criminal background checks on potential employees.
“It should be banned,” Davis said. “They should give a person a second chance.”
He added that former prisoners often work harder at jobs, because they have such a hard time landing employment.
According to Davis, there are many transitional programs, featuring mentors and workplace training, that try to prepare inmates for life on the outside.
Research indicates that many former inmates have a hard time adjusting to life on the outside and often revert to their old lifestyles. According to a 2014 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, three out of four prisoners were rearrested within five years of their release.
Davis said one of the keys to succeeding on the outside is radically changing your lifestyle and, in some cases, letting some associates go.
“You got to get out of all that,” Davis said. “A lot of times they (old friends) want to see you fail.”
Davis is currently working with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), a support network of more than 180 formerly incarcerated men and women.
“Dee’s experiences paint a picture of the barriers to successful reentry that continue to punish formerly incarcerated individuals after they’ve served their sentences,” said ARC Deputy Director Niaz Kasravi, Ph.D. “To address this problem, ARC provides these individuals with a positive network of successful peers that support one another through the challenges of reentry, and advocates for local and state policies that increase housing, employment and education opportunities for the formerly incarcerated so that they have a shot at success.”
Sam Lewis is a life coach with ARC who counsels former inmates, helps them with employment and educates them about other programs that are available.
Lewis served 24 years for second-degree murder charges and was released in 2012. He said it is important former inmates, like him, help recently released prisoners adjust to life on the outside. Former inmates need to work with people who understand what they are going through, he said.
“There is no judgement here,” Lewis said. “I just want to see you succeed.”
Lewis said recently released inmates face many challenges on the outside such as housing, clothing and employment. He said the cost of living is a real problem in Los Angeles County, especially if you only have a minimum wage job.
“Minimum wage is not going to cut it, ” Lewis said.
Although California has passed a law that “banned the box,” it can still be an issue. According to Lewis, employers can still request that information if an employee is eventually considered for a job.
Being employed helps build confidence and helps ex-cons to be productive members of society, he said.
“We need more employers to give us the opportunity,” Lewis said. Former inmates are willing to learn and are loyal employees, he said.
He added that he wished the government would spend some of the billions allocated for corrections on transition programs to help former inmates reintegrate into society, an idea that is now getting bipartisan support.
“In the Republican Party, you have Newt Gingrich, saying that now,” Lewis said.
