Millennial entrepreneur hires former inmates and homeless people who struggle to find work even in a strong economy.
SOURCE: Politico.com
Each year, about 23,000 inmates like Camper leave prisons in Ohio, and 640,000 are released from prisons across the country. Nearly two-thirds of them can’t find a job within the first year and a majority of them are arrested again within three years. Not getting a job doesn’t hurt just the former inmate, it hits the whole economy. One think tank estimated that the cost of not hiring felons is $87 billion in gross domestic product every year. Governments have tried to address the issue. In 2016, the Obama administration invited corporations to sign a “fair chance” business pledge to help reintegrate felons into civilian life. Major companies such as Total Wine & More promised to hire people with criminal records. Koch Industries and Walmart no longer perform a background check until after an applicant has been offered a job.
Joe DeLoss, a serial entrepreneur in Columbus, viewed former prisoners as business assets, not charity cases. He knew they were potentially loyal employees who would not take an entry-level job for granted. DeLoss aspired to build a company with a double mission: make money using a workforce the rest of the private sector had largely ignored. And he wanted to accomplish this goal using a somewhat unusual product: spicy fried chicken.
Four years ago, he opened his first location of Hot Chicken Takeover. Today, about 70 percent of his 150 employees are people who were once imprisoned or homeless, recovering addicts and others who have struggled to find employment. He also has a thriving business that has three restaurants and ambitions to expand regionally and even nationally. In a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world, DeLoss’ workforce comprises a tiny fraction of the 70 million Americans with some kind of criminal record, but he’s promoting a concept that social scientists have long said reduces the chances they will re-offend.
“Our own research found that people who get jobs are less likely to return to prison,” says Nancy La Vigne, director of the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute. “It’s not just getting a job, but retaining that job over time”—particularly one that pays a living wage.
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Does any one know if SOs are included in this second chance? Thank you
Nothing expressly excludes them. If you are searching for a job in the area, apply and let us know.
Sarah,
Unfortunately no. We are the proverbial “Red Headed Step Child” of the Felon world. We couldnt get a job at a graveyard; cutting grass, because there “are children buried there”.
A friend of mine drove drunk and killed 3 people. He got the usual DUI and Manslaughter. BEFORE he was even off his probation, he had petitioned the court (and won) to get his voting rights restored AND he is allowed to own a firearm. He has been sober for the past 20+ years.
But it just tells you that a person who drives drunk and KILLS 3 people is ok with getting his voting rights back AND owning a gun BEFORE he is off Community Service.
Oh boy…cheap labor by second class citizens.
India? North Korea?
NO – The United States of America!
Happy 4th of July!
I believe the article says they get paid more than most other comparable jobs, certainly above minimum wage.
When you come out of prison, you don’t worry about how much or little the job pays. You need ANY job first, and then you become more attractive to other employers. Even if it is only minimum wage, it beats the hell out of prison pay to inmates. I made $75 a month in prison, and was extremely grateful. All you want is that chance to prove yourself, no matter what the job pays. Any program that helps you get that first job after prison is worthwhile.
It’s just common sense that someone is less likely to commit crimes if they have a decent job. The problem we at this forum face isn’t really addressed by this article though. Here is a quote from it for example, “The hiring process is more rigorous than other restaurant gigs. After filling out an online application, potential Hot Chicken employees must undergo a phone interview and an in-person meeting. If a person exhibits a pattern of violent behavior that raises alarms or has committed an offense that prohibits them from working near a school, for example, they might not be the best fit for restaurant work, says marketing manager Dilara Casey. But Hot Chicken does refer them to other employers. In the end, only a quarter of applicants are hired.”
Obviously, this is referring to registered sex offenders. While on parole, I was given the same list of felon friendly employers to aid in my job search. However, when i would apply to those places, they made it known to me that the type of felony would determine whether or not you were offered a job. They usually explicitly made it clear that they don’t hire sex offenders. At one point, I asked the parole agents if they could provide a list of local companies that actually hire sex offenders, but they said I was on my own. I remember watching the national news during the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. People were outraged when they found out that a sex offender had been hired to help clean up the beaches. People were saying right out that sex offenders shouldn’t be allowed to be hired ANYWHERE. What do they expect these people, myself included, to do to support themselves?
This is great to hear. Does anyone know if he actually hires RSOs?
I read the entire article source of the particular company they are talking about (Hot chicken takeover by Joe DeLoss) and I don’t think they hire RSOs. Here is a paragraph piece from the article that they may be referering to RSOs.
” The hiring process is more rigorous than other restaurant gigs. After filling out an online application, potential Hot Chicken employees must undergo a phone interview and an in-person meeting. If a person exhibits a pattern of violent behavior that raises alarms or has committed an offense that prohibits them from working near a school, for example, they might not be the best fit for restaurant work, says marketing manager Dilara Casey. But Hot Chicken does refer them to other employers. In the end, only a quarter of applicants are hired “.