Probation and Parole

1 Probation and Parole The day when a person is released from prison is one of great joy. They are happy to see their loved ones and live in a free world where they no longer live behind bars. However, the truth is that they now face a new problem of rebuilding their lives in an environment that condemns ex-convicts. This is particularly true for parolees who are returning home from a long sentence.

Every year, a significant number of prisoners who have finished serving their sentences or are released early because they have demonstrated exemplary behavior during their imprisonment reenter the community. However, without proper reintegration into the community, they face numerous challenges that may cause them to revert to crime and other social ills. Ex-convicts slip back to their former ways because they receive very little preparation and insufficient help to reenter communities. A criminal conviction has a severe negative impact on employment opportunities, access to social services and public housing assistance.

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2 Employment Opportunities Parolees have a number of characteristics that impede their employability and ability to earn a living. Among them are; their limited work experience, limited education, inability to apply their skills in the modern work environment and substance abuse. Incarceration makes one lose the opportunity to acquire the educations, skills and work experience that are required in the workplace. As a consequence, parolees are not able to compete against job seekers who have never been detained. Besides the skills, education and substance abuse problems, majority of exoffenders are from minority races. Approximately 50% are African-American, and 20% are Latino or Asian (Abadinsky, 2017). These races suffer higher incidences of labor market discrimination, therefore, the parolees are even more affected since they are not only from a minority race, they also have a criminal record. Additionally, minority communities have fewer unskilled jobs and as a result, there’s a higher probability of earning a sustainable income.

A criminal background check is performed by an employer to inform the decision whether to hire or promote an individual. Employers use it to determine whether a candidate is an ideal addition to the workforce or whether they pose a danger to the organization. Securing meaningful employment opportunities is more challenging for parolees because the priority of organizations is to secure their assets and reduce risk. Parolees are generally perceived to be a more risky employment choice than non-parolees.

Second Chance Jobs for Parolees For individuals with a criminal record, the thought of reentering the job market may seem like an impossible task. Many people who find themselves in this situation might believe that crime is the only option and as a result, a significant proportion of parolees will return to prison within a few years of their release. However, with determination and an open mind, it is possible

3 to secure decent employment that will help them get back on their feet. Parolees are mostly eligible for jobs that require unskilled labor and have a lower risk of financial loss (Abadinsky, 2017). These include; welding, carpentry, truck driving, plumbing, electrician, substance abuse counseling, painting, customer service representative, sales representative, landscaping, and hairdressing among others.

Felons are precluded from work that require skilled labor and may cause the organization significant financial loss in case they commit a crime. They may also be precluded from job opportunities that involve them representing the company in client-facing situations.

Housing and Parolees Ex-prisoners have a more difficult time securing housing than they do securing employment. Very few ex-prisoners have a loving community to return to once they are released.

Their families may have moved, passed on, or even made it clear that they do not want someone with a criminal record in their home (Abadinsky, 2017). As a result, many of them end up without stable housing for many months after their release. Additionally, parolees also have a higher probability of living in high crime neighborhoods, since these are cheaper and more accessible to them. This unstable state of housing may cause them to recede to crime. Despite these challenges, felon-friendly housing exists. In some states, landlords are prohibited from using an applicant’s criminal background to determine whether to rent. Additionally, if the felon has been back in society for a number of years and has not committed a crime, many landlords will agree to rent to them. In less popular and low income towns where the demand for housing is lower, a felon is more likely to get accommodation. An ex-convict who secures housing should ensure that they remain housed by paying the rental amount in full every month, having a stable source of income, keeping the property neat and staying out of trouble.

4 Parolees might not have strong ties with the community for various reasons. Firstly, they are still perceived to be a danger for the crimes and offences they committed. Secondly, they might have been incarcerated for so long that their relationships with the community became impaired or weakened during the detention. Consequently, parolees may experience isolation and stigmatization, whereas they expected to become productive and active members of the community. It is imperative for the government, families, communities and non-profit organizations to work towards reintegrating ex-prisoners in order to prevent recidivism.

In some cases, when parolees experience extreme isolation from their family and community, they may go back to gang membership where they are likely to be accepted and easily reintegrated. Unfortunately, despite providing the comfort of having social connections, gang affiliations increase the probability of recidivism. As a result, they enter a perpetual cycle of crime, which hinders their ability to become well-reintegrated into the community.

While in prison, prisoners’ lives are highly structured because they have limited freedom and they have to adhere to the rules and regulations of the detainment facilities. Upon their release, they have almost complete freedom and they may not have to report their activities to anyone. As a result, they may succumb to the anti-social behaviors that led to their incarceration.

Ex-prisoners who are inclined to become dependent on alcohol may end up abusing alcohol, drugs and other substances (Abadinsky, 2017). Violent offenders on the other hand, will have a more challenging period obtaining employment and housing, since the society does not want to associate with them, and eventually may resort to crime in order to meet their needs.

Collateral Consequences of Conviction Collateral consequences of conviction are the additional civil actions that are taken against a convict in addition to the direct consequences such as probation, fines and

5 incarceration. These collateral consequences include limit or impeding people convicted of crimes from accessing housing, employment, education and other rights. For instance, a person who had been incarcerated for committing violent crimes might be forbidden from accessing guns and other weapons. Likewise, a person who commits serious traffic offences might be forbidden from acquiring a driver’s license.

6 Reference Abadinsky, H. (2017). Probation and Parole: Corrections in the Community. Pearson.