For many former inmates, success upon re-entry means securing housing, maintaining a solid support system of family and friends, and finding a job. In 2018 alone, approximately 700,000 people finished their time in prison and re-entered their communities. But as many have found, getting a job is harder than ever. About one in three Americans holds a criminal record, regardless of whether they have been to prison – about as many people who hold college degrees. Just having a record is a barrier, says Jenny Kim, deputy general counsel and vice president for public policy at Koch Industries.
Jenny Kim, Deputy General Counsel, Koch Industries
For many former inmates, success upon re-entry means securing housing, maintaining a solid support system of family and friends, and finding a job. In 2018 alone, approximately 700,000 people finished their time in prison and re-entered their communities. But as many have found, getting a job is harder than ever. About one in three Americans holds a criminal record, regardless of whether they have been to prison – about as many people who hold college degrees. Just having a record is a barrier, says Jenny Kim, deputy general counsel and vice president for public policy at Koch Industries.
Kim recently moderated a panel discussion at the National Diversity Council’s 15th在达拉斯举行的年度多样性与领导力会议，在那里她与那些致力于雇用希望有机会工作，为自己，家人和社区改善生活的人订婚的人。讨论包括小组成员Teisha Sanders，佛罗里达州立大学社会工作学院司法研究与发展研究所项目主任；Unlocking Doors™的创始人兼首席执行官Christina Melton Crain；Televerde的首席社会责任官Michelle Cirocco。雷电竞官方地址讨论之后，金与科赫新闻坐下来，回答了有关第二次招聘和她的工作重要性的一些问题：
How do employers benefit when they hire people with criminal records?
We really look at it as a win-win-win, for families and communities, for employers, and for the potential hires. Having a job lessens the chance that someone will commit another crime and end up back in prison, so it keeps families together. As we know, the U.S. has more than 7 million job openings, so it’s important to consider all available workers who have the right talent and skills.
There is no substitute for the dignity of work. When people have a purpose-driven job to go to every day, they feel more connected to the world around them and are much more likely to make positive contributions that improve life for everyone. The U.S. is currently losing about870亿美元in GDP each year by shutting these people out of jobs they can do. Second-chance hiring both improves public safety and helps communities build themselves up rather than just hold themselves together.
Why does Koch Industries support second-chance hiring?
查理斯·科赫的东西的一部分,我们的作文any’s chairman and CEO, has long believed: For people to succeed, they must discover their innate talents and help others do the same by breaking down whatever barriers stand in their way. People should not be judged on past mistakes but evaluated on future potential for contributions. A lot of people might think that once someone goes to prison, they’re never going to have to deal with that person again. That's not true – 95 percent of them will be coming out, which roughly translates to about 700,000 people coming out per year. We really owe it to ourselves to get it right.
这就是为什么Koch Industries在2015年禁止询问过去定罪的就业申请的盒子。可以肯定的是，我们在雇用任何人之前要勤奋，但是本身就不应该失去就业的资格。几十年来，我们聘请了具有犯罪记录的合格候选人。
What’s the business community’s consensus around hiring individuals with criminal records?
That’s a great question, and I’m sure you would get a slightly different answer depending on whomever you ask. But just from looking at the data, I can tell you that companies have broad-based support for second-chance hiring. According to astudycommissioned by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Charles Koch Institute last year, more than 80% of managers and two-thirds of HR professionals said that the value people with criminal records bring to their organization is as high or higher than that of other workers.
The same survey found that more than 80% of employees are willing to work alongside others with criminal records. Employers also cited the importance of hiring the right candidate for the job, regardless of whether that individual has a criminal record.
How is Koch working to help other employers give deserving candidates a second chance?
This year, Koch partnered with SHRM for the Getting Talent Back to Work pledge. The pledge for employers includes learning about the research and legal factors around hiring workers with a criminal background; applying evidence-driven practices; and getting practical guidance from industry leaders in acquiring, developing and promoting talent.
As we discussed during the session, there are so many qualified individuals across the United States who are held back by a variety of circumstances. This is just one part of it, but it is critical to get it right and to make sure that we are engaged with anyone who is willing to help.
科赫还在做什么来促进所有人的第二次机会？
Since last year, Koch Industries has supportedSafe Streets & Second Chances, a first-of-its-kind program that combines real-time research with policy to improve outcomes for people in prison who are re-entering communities in four states: Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The unique thing about this research is that instead of waiting 17 years for the results, every three months, they will be issuing a report to identify the findings and then the data that comes from that will inform the policy working to implement them at the state and local levels.
我们继续倡导在哪里可以改变，创造互惠互利，并帮助他人在改善自己的生活的同时发挥自己的潜力。我们才刚刚起步，我们希望与任何同样感觉的人一起工作。这是每个人的工作。
Koch deputy general counsel Jenny Kim (far right) moderated the discussion between Christina Melton Crain, founder and president/CEO of Unlocking DOORS; Teisha Sanders, project director at the Institute for Justice Research & Development at Florida State University’s College of Social Work; and Michelle Cirocco, chief social responsibility officer at Televerde.
Read more:7 key takeaways from the latest criminal justice research
