Social Welfare for Convicts

Many people would say that convicts deserve nothing more than basic existence because of the crime(s) that they have committed and although I agree I feel that they also deserve a chance to better themselves and attempt to legally rise above their pasts. I mean to a certain degree their debts to society have been paid and what better incentive to stop them from re-offending than giving them a true feeling of self-efficiency or somewhat of an equal chance as the rest of the nation’s population. Having said all of this, I think that convicts should receive social welfare because after being convicted in most states there are certain jobs that can’t be obtained, they become disenfranchised, and they shouldn’t be constantly reminded of their pasts because everyone makes mistakes, colossal or minute.

One reason why I believe that convicts should receive some type of welfare is because of the lack of job eligibility. If these people were convicted of crimes employers would rather not give them the opportunity of employment not necessarily caring if they are the perfect, most skilled potential employee for the job. This thought process is fine until you begin to consider the fact that if these people can’t make money, enough money to support himself or herself and possibly a family, and they are not strong minded then the door of their past opens up and it makes that much easier to go steal or whatever else they have done in the past. For the employers whom are much more lenient with their hiring practices or feel a bit more secure and confident that their newfound employees won’t re-offend or embarrass his or her company by hiring ex-convicts are most likely employees who don’t pay very much more than minimum wage or slightly a li...

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...rwise would not have transpired. Having said this, if there is conviction for a crime that wasn’t committed by the convicted person no one will hear, “I didn’t do it,” because all they will see is your record and even though records can be expunged those that know the past will forever hold on to it, waiting to expose this information of the ex-convict to ruin him or her.

In closing, would you rather be pestered and bothered, maybe even burglarized because an ex-convict feels like a second-class, poverty stricken citizen? Or would you rather they receive welfare after they have went to apply for jobs but are not considered for them, after they have been disenfranchised, and simply because of their past actions that he or she may be trying to rid themselves of? Choose wisely, because someway and somehow we, those who aren't convicts are directly affected by them.