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Job Market Ripe For 2nd Chances

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By ROBERT RODRIGUEZ McClatchy Newspapers

Published: October 8, 2007

FRESNO, Calif. - The tattoo on Jason Carter's throat reads: 'sober.'

It's a badge of honor for the recovering drug addict and former prison inmate.

Unfortunately, most employers don't see it that way.

'They would take one look at me, and they didn't want to hire me. They didn't want me dealing with the public,' said Carter, who spent nearly a year looking for a job after being paroled from state prison in 2005.

'I went everywhere, but no one would give me a job.'

That is, until Carter met John Shegerian, a Fresno businessman with a zeal for making money, creating new ventures and giving people a second chance.

Shegerian's Electronic Recyclers of America is among several Fresno employers willing to risk hiring people with prison records. Shegerian and others say they do it for altruistic and practical reasons.

'I tell CEOs and company presidents, 'Don't be scared. The people who are truly interested in turning their lives around will become some of your best employees,'' Shegerian said.

Low Unemployment Opens Doors

Although employment experts say the number of employers hiring convicts is not growing significantly, the low unemployment rate, coupled with federal and state hiring incentives, could make it more attractive.

'I think we are on the cusp of things beginning to change,' said Denise Ost, of Goodwill Industries of San Joaquin Valley.

'This is really an untapped labor market. And as the unemployment rates go down, employers are fighting over fewer and fewer employees.'
Goodwill Industries works with 92 prospective Valley employers willing to hire former prisoners, many of whom have been convicted of drug-related charges.

At Valley Hardware in Fresno, finding workers has been difficult. A help-wanted ad in the Fresno City College newspaper yielded just one phone call and one interview.

The Blackstone Avenue hardware store has better luck working with several social service agencies, including Goodwill, Poverello House and Fresno Rescue Mission.

Nationwide, public officials have been trying to make it easier for ex-prisoners to be hired. The reason: People with a steady income are less likely to wind up back in jail.

In California, about 120,000 people are paroled every year, state officials said.

Two years ago, San Francisco passed a law allowing applicants for public sector jobs to not disclose a history of criminal convictions. The measure passed, despite concerns from victims' rights advocates.

Other cities have similar laws, including St. Paul, Minn., and Chicago.

Employers who hire parolees also are eligible for tax credits from the federal government worth up to $2,400. The credit is claimed during the employee's first year of employment.

At Shegerian's Fresno recycling plant, about a quarter of the 200 employees are ex-gang members or have served time in state or federal prison.

The operation recycles up to 7 million pounds of electronic equipment a month and is a leader in the industry.

Shegerian's work in hiring former inmates and former gang members landed him a spot on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 10-member advisory council for the newly created Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy.

He preaches the virtues of hiring ex-offenders.

'You don't have to hire 50, just open your doors to one or two. If more people did just that, it would make a difference,' Shegerian said. 'Just like I told the governor, we are leading the way in recycling electronics, and we want to lead the way in recycling lives.'

Having Faith In Turnaround

Shegerian places a great amount of trust in his employees. One of Shegerian's key people at Electronic Recyclers is assistant plant manager Jesse Gonzalez, who served three years in state and federal prison. He spent more than a year looking for a job.

'I don't think people understand that it is hard to change if you don't have a job,' Gonzalez said. 'It is too easy to go back and do what you were doing before.'

Even advocates say hiring parolees is not for every employer. It has to be the right fit.

On average, however, plant manager Anthony Borges said the turnover rate for ex-prisoners is lower than the company's general employee population.

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