The Job Search and the Stigma of a Felony

The latest episode of a great of web radio show, Family Life Behind Bars, focuses on the job search after incarceration, and includes two guests who offer important perspectives on the topic.

David Koch -- a pilot, business owner and author -- served two years in prison before beginning his career in 1980 at the bottom rung, mowing lawns and cleaning floors at a flight school. He offers some clear and actionable advice to newly released prisoners, but he doesn't mince words -- he's such a believer in self-determination that he almost denies the challenges are there. He says that the stigma of a felony conviction exists in the felon’s mind more than it does in society. He recommends that newly released prisoners take "jobs that nobody wants" or volunteer their time to help others and get their foot in the door. I'm not sure if he's offering sound advice or living in a fantasy land.

From the other end of the spectrum, guest Aric Coleman was freed last month in Michigan after serving seven years in prison. He’s struggling to find a job, and he says he sees the stigma against hiring felons as real in society, but then agrees with Koch that it must first be conquered within oneself.

Listen to the podcast here.

I sometimes write in this space about nonprofits and socially conscious companies that open doors for the formerly incarcerated. These are critical pieces of the puzzle, of course. But this podcast discussion focuses on the individual, and it raises some important questions.

I haven’t faced the stigma of a felony so I don’t have the insight of these two guests, but it has always seemed to me that the stigma is very real. It’s inspiring to hear these two men describe the personal journey of overcoming the challenges facing them, but it certainly takes enlightened hiring practices to help people like them achieve their goals. I'm not sure we're there yet.

In the end, I disagree with Koch. We live in a society (especially in this economy) where the enormous prison system is vilified and misunderstood. Thanks to the drug war, more people than ever before have a record, but companies refuse to hire them. In the current atmosphere, many talented, driven former prisoners just won't get the break they need to achieve their potential. That needs to change to make Koch's world a reality.