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>>Rather than that, I'd prefer a three-strikes-you're-out Why are you jumping to the third strike? Put someone in jail for a crime we all have committed (I'm 9

>>Rather than that, I'd prefer a three-strikes-you're-out Why are you jumping to the third strike? Put someone in jail for a crime we all have committed (I'm 99% sure that you have committed a crime https://reason.com/archives/2009/10/19/were-all-felons-now https://reason.com/archives/2009/10/19/were-all-felons-now ) they lose their job, become broke and essentially have nothing to lose. Not to mention the Crime University training they got while in jail.

tyingq 9y ago
>they lose their job, become broke and essentially have nothing to lose That's a fair amount of it. Background checks are cheap and easy now...just a website and a few dollars. 20 years ago, only big companies did background checks. Almost every company does now. It is VERY difficult to get any kind of job with a felony conviction on your record. Getting one that pays even a barely livable wage is even more difficult. The outcome from that situation is predictable.
- zaroth 9y ago
  But if there's a massive untapped market of ex-felons willing, able, and desperate for work, then any company who hired them would have a huge economic advantage! I think in reality ex-felons are much more likely to be unqualified, under-performing, and high-risk hires that could cause major issues at a company and that companies on average are smart to avoid them. Obviously that sucks tremendously for the ex-felons who would have been model employees, but you can't exactly weed them out by asking nicely during the interview process? I think best case is there may be certain jobs which are "firewalled" enough internally/externally that you can risk hiring a convicted felon but in most cases it's probably a rational choice by a company not to hire them. Broadly excluding any applicant with any conviction at any point of their life is certainly not appropriate and possibly even effectively illegal racial discrimination, but the flip side is hiring a dangerous felon, aka negligent hiring and if it causes harm to a customer or employee you can be sued for that as well.
  - tyingq 9y ago
    I get your point of view, but you can see where it leads. If they can't get work, eventually, they are going to find some way to make money to survive. Because of the ubiquitous background checks, this is a relatively new problem. Those that wanted to work used to be able to find a way.

tyingq 9y ago

>they lose their job, become broke and essentially have nothing to lose That's a fair amount of it. Background checks are cheap and easy now...just a website and a few dollars. 20 years ago, only big companies did background checks. Almost every company does now. It is VERY difficult to get any kind of job with a felony conviction on your record. Getting one that pays even a barely livable wage is even more difficult. The outcome from that situation is predictable.

zaroth 9y ago
But if there's a massive untapped market of ex-felons willing, able, and desperate for work, then any company who hired them would have a huge economic advantage! I think in reality ex-felons are much more likely to be unqualified, under-performing, and high-risk hires that could cause major issues at a company and that companies on average are smart to avoid them. Obviously that sucks tremendously for the ex-felons who would have been model employees, but you can't exactly weed them out by asking nicely during the interview process? I think best case is there may be certain jobs which are "firewalled" enough internally/externally that you can risk hiring a convicted felon but in most cases it's probably a rational choice by a company not to hire them. Broadly excluding any applicant with any conviction at any point of their life is certainly not appropriate and possibly even effectively illegal racial discrimination, but the flip side is hiring a dangerous felon, aka negligent hiring and if it causes harm to a customer or employee you can be sued for that as well.
- tyingq 9y ago
  I get your point of view, but you can see where it leads. If they can't get work, eventually, they are going to find some way to make money to survive. Because of the ubiquitous background checks, this is a relatively new problem. Those that wanted to work used to be able to find a way.