Criminal Recidivism

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Didn’t You Learn Your Lesson? The United States criminal justice system applies criminal law to defendants accused of committing a crime. If found guilty or if the defendant pleads guilty, the sentencing power (usually a judge) imposes a sentence or punishment. The sentence or punishment is a direct consequence of the conviction. However the consequences of a criminal record don’t cease after the sentence has been completed. According to the study “Confronting Confinement” by the Vera Institute of Justice, 67 percent of ex-prisoners re-offend and 52 percent are re-incarcerated within three years of being released (prisoncomisson.org). Is this because a lesson wasn’t learned? Or, should we face the realization that our society does…show more content…
According to Study Shows Ex-offenders Have Greatly Reduced Employment Rates, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is considering the issue of removing the criminal background questions from job applications (2). This removal would allow people to be considered for positions based on their abilities and qualifications instead of their past. Those who oppose this removal may say that this is a risk for employers. Employers could possibly hire someone who has been convicted of theft. This opposition is valid however; there is a way to prevent this risk on employers. The article Criminal Recidivism: Why it Hurts Everyone, shows that New Haven, Connecticut has found the answer to this opposition. Their government only allows employers to perform a background check on potential employees after a job offer has been accepted. The employer can only refuse the job offer if the background check shows that the employee’s criminal past could interfere with the job offered to them. A person convicted of embezzlement would be a cause of concern if the job offer was for a payroll department but not if it was for road construction (par. 10). This is a very logical way of reintegrating ex-convicts into the work force. For many ex-convicts finding employment is the first step to a healthy productive life. It gives them a feeling of accomplishment and allows them to be proud of how far they have come in life. Employment gives ex-convicts a reason to hold their head high. Instead of ex-convicts feeling like a failure employment for them means feeling like a
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