Now hiring! Formerly incarcerated people
Businesses long rejected applicants with criminal convictions. The current tight job market is changing things
Headlines From The Times · Shannon Lin, Gustavo Arellano, Shani Hilton, Melissa Kaplan, Kasia Broussalian, Denise Guerra, Mario Diaz, Lauren Raab
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Show Notes
There are about 20 million people in the United States with felony records and unemployment rates among the formerly incarcerated is especially high — 27%, a few years ago, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Compare that with the overall unemployment rate around the same time, which was less than 4%. The stigma of a criminal record has long influenced this reality, but with the Great Resignation unfolding before us, the situation for these folks seems to be looking up. Today, we'll hear from L.A. Times business reporter Don Lee, who has written about the issue, and from someone who's working to connect formerly incarcerated people with jobs — and who was formerly incarcerated himself.
More reading:
Once shunned, people convicted of felonies find more employers open to hiring them