I am writing to request an
interview to work for your organization.
When I filled out your online application, you asked about my criminal
history. Because I answered honestly, I
fear that we’ll never meet face to face in order for me to explain my past. This is disappointing, because I have
something valuable to offer.
It is also frustrating, because
productive employment represents one of the bridges that could lead me back to
a trusted place within my community. I
can explain what led me to commit criminal acts. For me, it was out of the
desperation of addiction; but, everyone has a unique story. The point is that I fractured the bond that
existed between me and my community. Now
that I’m out of prison, I have to heal that wound. Using my skills and passion to help you
achieve your goals is one of the ways that the bonds of trust are
restored. It shouldn’t be a surprise
that the likelihood of me and anyone with a criminal past going back to prison
decreases significantly when we find gainful employment.
For many years, I was defined by
the crimes I committed. I wore the label
“offender”. It represented a permanent
state, not the actions of my past. The
label doesn’t go away just because they released me from prison. People ensure that it remains a permanent
mark of shame that separates me from my community. In the rare instances when I get an
interview, employers quickly race to the end of the interview when I try to
explain what I’ve done to overcome my past. Even if they wanted to give me a
chance, their lawyers or senior executives would veto the decision.
Ironically, it is what I’ve done
to overcome my past that makes me an asset beyond what you can imagine. In prison, I learned to deal with stress,
anger, and pain without turning to alcohol or drugs to change my mood. How many of your current employees can say
that? In prison, I learned to do the
right thing at every moment, even when no one was looking. Can all of your senior executives say
that? How many of your workers embrace
their jobs with the type of gratitude and passion that I would bring with me
every day? Believe it or not, it was in
working to overcome my past that I learned all of these things.
The criminal record you see on that application represents untold efforts to overcome the worst about myself. How is that not a strength?
If you took the criminal
background question off of your application, you and I might get an opportunity
to have this conversation. You wouldn’t
be alone. Hundreds of cities and counties
around the country removed the question from their employment
applications. Already, 18 states followed
suit. Major corporations like Walmart,
Target, Home Depot, and Koch Industries removed the question from their
application. I included links below that
will allow you to read about these decisions yourself.
These employers know something
that you don’t. They know that we all
make terrible mistakes in our lives, and that we should never be permanently defined
by our darkest moments. When they
welcome people into their organizations who have worked to overcome past
mistakes, they build a bridge back to the community that anyone can walk
across, even themselves.
Respectfully,
Doug Smith
Fair Chance
Employment Resources:
