Pros And Cons Of Ex-Convicts

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Should They Stay or Should They Go? After being incarcerated, we expect ex-convicts to either better their lives and take advantage of their second chance at life, get a job and be a successful part of society, or repeat past mistakes and commit new crimes that land them back in prison. While this may be true on a large scale, it is often very difficult for ex-offenders to find a successful job and career after being released. We should help ex-convicts get long lasting jobs because they have already been punished for their crimes, discrimination in the workplace makes it hard for them to get employment, and without a job, they are more likely to commit another crime and go back to jail. We may agree that having a criminal record is not ideal, but what we might not know is that over one-fourth of the American adult population (65 million people) have a criminal record (Pettinato 5). It is estimated that every year 725,000 inmates are released from …show more content…

“Therefore, it is not unlikely for individuals to be denied a job because of ex-offender status, regardless of the crime they committed, or for ex- offenders to be offered the lowest paying job, regardless of their skill or training level” (Johnson 2). We need to stop punishing ex-convicts after they are released from prison. The purpose of prison is to help criminals improve their lives and reestablish healthy habits and goals. When they are released and we do not help them achieve their goals, we teach them that the coaching they have recieved is not applicable. We continually stunt their growth as they already have restricted options to improve their own lives. They often fall back and relapse into violations of the law that send them back to

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