Being an Ex-felon in America
Jay Wainwright
Axia College of University of Phoenix

Being an Ex-felon in America There are many people in society who are still being treated unfairly. There is still a major disconnect from mainstream society and ex-felons. There are many people with opinions on how to help the ex-convict to become a productive member of society, except for the voice or better said by the rhetoric of the ex-felon, the one who has paid his or, her debt to society by doing harsh and terrible prison time. Yes, ex means nothing when it comes to a person from a criminal past. Everyone has already heard the rhetoric about “everyone is created equal” but, this rhetoric has been tested before and still being tested today. This is just some of the topics that will be presented in this paper. Ex-felons are underprivileged and treated unfairly because people of society are unforgiving and ex-cons are barely given any opportunities to change. Some ex-felons are underprivileged in many aspects of society due to one’s criminal past or better said mistakes. Ex-felons are not permitted to obtain a firearms license after one is convicted of a felony. One cannot conceal a firearm to protect one’s place of residence and most places ex-felons live, a firearm is needed. There are burglars everywhere but majority of them live in the same places as an ex-felon. How are ex-felons supposed to protect his or, her home and family from the violent thoughts of others? One cannot conceal a firearm to go hunting during hunting season after being convicted of a felony. There are laws that prohibit ex-felons from these privileges even if one’s crime is non-violent. The people who commit violent crimes should be the ones who have this right taking from them not people of minor harmless crimes. One should also note that an ex-felon’s right to vote is revoked for a period in some states. The opportunity most of society has to be able to contribute to the election of a state official is disregarded in some states. Steinacker (2003) states that, “most states have some restriction on the right of convicted felons to vote.” For example, look at the illustration below from Steinacker (2003)...
Figure [ 1 ]. States of Disenfranchisement.

Losing the right to vote as a result of a felony conviction and losing the right to hold public office as a result of that conviction are inextricably linked. Consequently, in order to understand the policies and implications of losing the right to hold public office, both aspects of felony disenfranchisement laws must be addressed (Steinacker, 2003). This means that the laws of disenfranchisement put in place should be scrutinized very thoroughly for, one to get the full understanding of how the two are both united. One losing his or, her right to vote is like losing one’s freedom of speech on paper. The voice of the ex-felon goes unheard for a period in some states as a result of a criminal mistake from one’s “past.” When is one forgiving for the mistakes that were committed in the past? People of color have been wondering about this question for decades and still there is no answer from society. Ex-felons are already treated unfairly in society as a whole; there is no need for the government to turn the other cheek too. Bontrager, Bales and Chiricos (2005) stated, “A host of informal exclusions associated with felony conviction, beyond those specified in law, make a return to conventional life more difficult (Para. 1).” In America there is a lack of tools for the ex-felon to use to become a productive member of society. There is not enough education for ex-felons on the inside or the outside of the prison system. Everything is not about the education or the programs it is mainly about the laws that really have no effect on helping ex-felons get back to being a productive member of society. Bureau of Justice Statistics (1997) states that, “White, black, and Hispanic male inmates ages 20 through 39 markedly less educated than their counterparts in the general population.”
Figure 2. Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities. Educational attainment of males, ages 20 through 39, by race Hispanic origin, for State prison inmates and the general population.Percent of males ages 20 through 39 by race Hispanic origin | | White | Black | Hispanic | Education attainment | General Population | State prison inmates | General Population | State prison inmates | General population | State prison inmates | Eighth grade or less | 4.3% | 9.9% | 2.3% | 9.9% | 20.9% | 24.1% | Some high school | 9.6 | 17.8 | 13.3 | 34.0 | 20.4 | 27.7 | High school diploma | 32.1 | 61.0 | 40.5 | 47.9 | 27.0 | 41.6 | Postsecondary or some college | 30.7 | 9.3 | 32.4 | 7.1 | 22.8 | 5.3 | College graduate or more | 23.4 | 1.9 | 11.5 | 1.1 | 8.9 | 1.4 | Sources: BJS, Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 1997;Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, March supplement, 1997.(Bureau of Justice Statistics, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/) |

There are some education programs for prisoners but after release from prison there is nothing and no one to consult within most cities and states. There should be a set up education program for the release of an ex-felon. There is not enough rehabilitation for ex-felons on the inside or the outside of the prison system. There are some programs for both prisoners and ex-felons but just not enough in every city and state. There should also be rehabilitation already set up for an ex-felon upon release. An ex-felon can receive as much education and rehabilitation as someone in society and still receive no employment. There is a major lack of forgiveness from the people of society when it comes to the past of an ex-felon. “The treatment of the deviant by the rest of the group serves to set him or her apart from others and leads to a deviant self concept when he or she internalizes the label. This process produces deviance by limiting choices and affecting decision- making processes (Harding, 2003).” There are so many stereotypes placed upon an ex-felon upon release for no reason just because someone else made the wrong turn does not mean that the next person will do the same. Stereotyping leads to more degenerate crimes, the continuance of labeling an ex-felon usually ends in more crime than before. There is also harsh treatment from the Parole boards and Parole Officers to go with the rest of society and, believe it or not that is the job these people chose. Most people know that an ex-felon will not get a job as soon as he or, she gets released and for, most ex-felons it takes several months or years to get job placement. The Parole Boards and Parole Officers just do not seem to understand the struggle for an ex-felon trying to get a job. These people do not seem to understand that no one wants to employ an ex-felon. Ex-felons barely have an opportunity to change after one’s release but this rarely being recognized by some people. When there is a lack of job opportunities, how can one cope with the necessities of life? There are qualified candidates with criminal records that are looked passed by employers and corporations. There are some companies that take an ex-felon through the interview process and, then tell them they did not see that there was a criminal history so, they cannot hire the ex-felon at this time. There are companies with signs and ads in the paper who say there is no hiring going on at this time at the company or, the company has filled all the positions. A few weeks later there will be another ad stating the same thing that last week’s paper stated for, the same position. Most companies do background checks and, they check back seven to 10 years. All the companies that do background checks states that a criminal record will not disqualify anyone from employment but, once the truth is out the ex-felon is at the same position he or, she was before the interview. The laws governing a criminal background check for potential employees are viewed by some as to stringent. “For the former prisoner, transitioning between criminal activity and work in the legitimate labor market is a critical part of ending the deviant career. However, ex-convicts searching for work after release face challenges to their personal identity in the reflected appraisal process because of ex-convict stigma. While stigma management has been studied in diverse populations, there has been almost no recent work on stigma and the re-entry of ex-convicts into mainstream society generally or into the labor market in particular. Adler (1992) notes that, among a sample of mostly White, middle class drug smugglers, finding legitimate work was the most difficult aspect of re-integration into mainstream society. Shover (1983) finds that securing a satisfying job is an important part of ending a deviant career among ordinary property offenders (Harding, 2003).” If White, middle class drug smugglers have a very hard time finding employment think about the black and Hispanic drug smuggler. These are the people with the most pressure at home and abroad to generate some type of income. If there is no employment for these people in one’s community and abroad, what should one do to generate funds to take care of one’s family? There is a major disconnect for the ex-felon to have a chance at the American dream. There is not enough resources for the ex-felon to obtain a higher education as stated above. The government gives insufficient help to ex-felons in obtaining job opportunities. Society does not want to except an ex-felon back in to the mainstream. The stereotypes of an ex-felon are heavily placed on the backs of each convicted felon or people below the middleclass. If everyone is created equal, why is there a lower class, middleclass, upper-class, elite and the poor? The poor and lower class is the same thing in the eyes of the people struggling through the situations. There is no one who can explain the trials and tribulations that are faced by the poor but the poor and, there voice is unheard in the halls of Washington. The crime rate would be decreased in every city and state if people could have the simple enjoyment of opportunity in one’s community. There are not many employment opportunities in most inner cities but there is an increase in the crime rate. Put two and two together and the answer is there for the eyes of the beholder. America is filled with too much greed for the poor to prosper. There are many ex-felons that have made it passed these barriers but, there are more than to many who have not been able to get passed these barriers. Some people will disagree and some will agree that ex-felons deserve a second chance to become a productive member of society. There are some ex-felons who should have no such thing because, of the type of crimes committed but all ex-felons are not the same. Everyone has already committed some type of crime before, whether major or minor it was still a crime. Some people were caught and some of these people did not get caught but, many people still received a second chance. When one gets out of prison that is not the second chance, the second chance is getting the chance to be treated like the rest of society. Ask this question, how would one handle the obstacles that stand in the way of one’s future?

References:
Steinacker, A. (2003). The prisoner's campaign: Felony disenfranchisement laws and the right to hold public office. Brigham Young University Law Review, 2003(2), 801-828. Retrieved July 5, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Bontrager, S., Bales, W., Chiricos, T. (2005). Race, ethnicity, threat and the labeling of convicted felons. Criminology, 43(3), 589-622. Retrieved July 5, 2009, from ProQuest database.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (1997). Education and Correctional Population. Retrieved July 5, 2009, from www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
Harding, D. (2003, November). jean valjean's dilemma: the management of ex-convict identity in the search for employment. Deviant Behavior, 24(6), 571. Retrieved July 5, 2009 from EBSCOhost.