Corrections Community

hi im a mother that has a son that is a sex offenderi live in florida if you can help me and my son i would be cratefull

Hi Lucy! Is your son presently incarcerated? What kind of help do you need most? What help are you receiving from the community? It is very challenging, both for the guys and gals with these charges, as well as for their families. If you can mention specifics, maybe someone on this list can be of more help. Thank you for posting your message.

Colleen

Atlanta

colleen thank you for writeing there is nothing im getting from the state for my son other then food stamps he needs a job and being a sex offender there is know help here i have called the public defender office these no organization he needs a job im a single person i cant afford much or some kind of job training thank you lucy

My best friend is a RSO and is dire need of employment help in the Dallas, Tx area. He has gotten to the interview of 72 job offerings and no further once they do the back ground check. The current system is truly inhumane and cruel for those guys who did everything they had to do and deemed by the SO officers as a non threat and not a person of further interest. Yet, because of the registry, he is branded for life. Jobs that have nothing to do with any possible need for a SO back ground check feel they have to and then tag these guys as non-employable when all they are doing is working from home on a computer. Is there anything that can be done and is there any job that anyone knows of in the Dallas area that will hire him before he looses his home and is forced to be come a "real" criminal to survive??? How many of us know of a SO who was just a kid who was dating another kid and the ages set in motion a chain of events, or a teacher who was falsely accused by a mad student and they both are now branded for life as a SO, never to be accepted into society as a functional or normal human being? Kel

I'm going to agree this issue doesn't affect me or my family, but as the corrections community might imagine a common way to disqualify an officer is allegation of criminal sexual conduct or in the case of property management which I do at a municipal position it's common to allege short of other means that something happened in the bedroom of a tenant so as to rid yourself of them and of course help yourself to their possessions as a result of eviction under what always is to them the worst of circumstances.

Hello. I have been researching sex offender emplyment for some time now. I am a registered sex offender. I am trying to put my life together. I have not been in an contact with law enforcement for almost twenty years. The crime happened in 1991. I finished parole in 1997. I have attempted to obtain employment many times over the years. I attempted to start my own business several times. It is impossible to get licensing as an ex-offender. I have been forced to work for less than minimum wage in many instances. I have completed a college education in accounting. I had several years of bookkeeping experience before the crime was committed. Many employers hear sex offense and automatically assume Rape. With this kind of association, who would hire me. I refuse to give up. How do I convince an employer that does not know me personally that I am not the man I was 20 years ago? If there is anyone out there who can offer me some guidance. please send me the info.

Caring to Gain Will is a Way provides advice and consultancy to teams and individuals on sustainable development processes. One of the projects that I am currently working on is Caring to Gain: tourism as a tool for sustainable community development. I think with this project I have developed a project that will give juvenile offenders a possibility to receive vocational training that will make reintegration in society easier with less risk of re entering criminality. It is a combination of Leisure industry, outward bound methods, sustainability and community integration. I would be grateful if you could let me know if there are Juvenile institutions that work like this or that might be interested in trying it out. If you think you might be of help, please let me know how i can send the concep projcet . I do hope you can help me further Kind regards Leo Jacobs Msc

I am a sex offender on parole in California. Employment has been very difficult to find because of my SO status and because my extensive work experience in corporate marketing for Fortune 100 companies scares small employers away. And the larger employers pretty much refuse to hire a felon, much less a sex offender. I'm active in my church and am working with a few people to create a non-profit organization that will help offenders find jobs when they parole. I believe I can use my marketing background to help most offenders re-brand themselves and effectively learn to use the same damage-control techniques used by public relations pros the world over to address their corporate client's problems, i.e. the Tylenol and Firestone tire scares. I find that the best way to find employment is to go back to low-tech and old school: resumes. A strong resume and cover letter will get an offender in more doors for an interview than filling out applications on-line or in situ. Once the SO is in the door for an interview, he usually has about ten or fifteen good minutes to sell himself and show the prospective employer the new man before he brings up his criminal background. This works best when the parolee is fairly clean-cut and presentable but that's something that can be managed with a little effort and training and the parolee's desire. Secondly, I identified a computer monitoring package that the local parole department is happy with. It is installed by their IT tech to prevent the parolee from gaming the set-up with backdoor keys and such, and is very robust and customizable. The software is installed at the parolee's expense (about $70 per installation). It captures screens and/or keystrokes at user-determined intervals. It does not noticeably slow performance down. SpectorSoft.com. Hope this helps some of your "clients" whether they are SOs or not. BTW, how do I create line breaks to separate paragraphs???

I am glad I stumbled on this site because I am seeking information on this very subject. My husband is in a similar situation like many of these stories posted. He committed a sex crime over 25 years ago and served an 11-year sentence and was on parole for 3 years. He is now a registered Level 2 sex offender and has done a lot to get his life in order. I met him after he got out of jail and I know he is not the man he was 25 years ago. Not only did he go through a program in jail that helped him learn how to deal with the reasons he committed his crime but he worked very hard helping others get through their problems as well. After we met 7 years ago, he made a decision to go back to school to become a drug and alcohol counselor. He has worked extremely hard to get his degree--an incredible feat for him because he has a learning disability and never even earned his high school diploma, only got his GED in jail--and now that he has gotten to the end of phase 1 (his Associate's), he is finding that is will be almost entirely impossible for him to ever get a job as a counselor in that field. I am glad he went back to school, but I am saddened that his degree will not really help him get a job in the field that he loves to work in and really has a gift for helping others. I am a teacher and I work in a psychiatric center with adults who have committed worse crimes who have many more opportunities than my husband will ever get. He does have a part-time job at a drug and alcohol facility which he got 3 years ago--HOWEVER, not only is he STILL earning minimum wage but he has never even been offered a chance for full time work or a promotion. He works there because he loves the job and knows he helps others. When he inquired about numerous full time opportunities and promotions, he was told on the "down low" that he will never be hired at that facility full time due to his sex offender status, that his employee record even has it stated on it not to hire him--the personnel secretary told him this because she said she really feels sorry for his situation and knows he is a good worker. This is a man who is always on time, always works to the fullest of his ability, and has never gotten a bad review. I am sickened that this situation has really disabled him. I am unaware of any laws that will help him either get a job, help him with his current job, or even get disability--in essence, this label has him pegged as a disabled person and my research has given me nothing to support him gaining this status just because of the sex offender label. Is there any help out there for him and for us? Thankfully, I have a very good job and make enough money to pay the bills but I see how his persistent efforts that fall flat are causing him to lose some faith. There are no support groups out there that I know of or people who can help. Once he got off parole, it was like he was thrown to the wolves to fend for himself. His PO was very nice and did what he could do, but with his increasing caseload, my husband is no longer his problem. If society is so incredibly bothered by the status of sex offenders and they want them "controlled" then why is there no help to reenter the community? Even where I work, where I still believe some people work in this field to help others, there is almost no one who agrees with me that sex offenders are real people and in many cases, they have been given a bad rap. Most of my coworkers do not know about my husband's status and they think he is a wonderful person. I know if they were to look on the website to find these "predators" as they are so horrendously named and found my address, they would not only view him differently but they would probably see me as a vile person as well. I hate knowing that you can look on the internet and see if there are "predators" living nearby. Yes, I agree that there are some people who are shady and maybe need to be monitored, but I know of many murderers and others who have never been caught committing a crime who are living in the community who have no such label and are quite comfortabe. I am not so sure some of them may not reoffend. I fear more for the quiet neighbor who I never see and wonder what they may have stashed in their home that could be much more dangerous than a man who got involved in a bad situation when he was half his age he is now. How can I help my husband? Are there any states out there that we can consider relocating to that may give him a better chance at employment? Should he give up and get a job in construction or something that does not use his skills cause they consider it "safe" from children and others? Any help is appreciated. Thanks for listening to my thoughts and concerns. hotcellodiva

I attempted to reach this site. The message I received was that the blog had been terminated by World Press for violation of terms. Do you know of any other way to obtain the Certificate of Rehabilitation? Everett

Just wanted to post a few comments to the thread. I started this thread because persons with SO status have been some of the toughest people to place into postions, especially in my role as an advocate to these job seekers. I spend a lot of time building up relationships with employers to facilitate me being able to make placements at a later time. SO status is very difficult for me to "sell" to an employer as a good employee, despite their skill set. I do not talk to employers about the convictions that people have, I simply focus on their skill set, experience, etc. Part of the reason why employers have ongoing relationships with me is that I send them qualified people. In addition, I take into consideration that the person I send them is someone that my HR/Employer contact will be WORKING WITH, using the same kitchen, parking lot, break room attending the same company picnic and holiday party. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding a conviction, until such time as someone is granted a pardon for their offense, that person needs to accept 100% responsibility for their actions. Again, no matter what the circumstances were, if you do not take personal responsibility for those actions, most employers will not hire you. Your emphasis must be on the skills and abilities that you bring to the table and how you could be of use to the employer. Now more than ever, you have to compete for limited slots so they better be prepared to compete. I will give you one tip to getting interviews rather than being shot down after filing out an application. Step One ~ Identify the company that is hiring Step Two ~ Get the contact information (Name, Address,Title) for the person/company Step Three ~ Write a job and company specific cover letter and attach a resume. Request an opportunity for an interview. Cover letters and resumes do not include crimminal history Step Four ~ At the interview, fill in the job application and HONESTLY answer questions regarding your crimminal history Step Five ~ Interview and briefly talk about your crimminal history, but focus on what you have done since then to change your life, etc and your skills, abilities and exp that would make you a good employee for them Step Six ~ Write a thank you note as a follow up with 48 hours of the interview. Send it immediately. Emphasize your interest in the position. Step Seven ~ Continue the job search process, don't just wait on any one, two, three, fifteen interviews that you have had. ~Matt Lucas, OWDS, GCDF

In reply to Matt Lucas's who wrote a post at 01-15-2009 4:01 PM: Matt, it is refreshingly hopeful to a SO like me to know that there are people like you out there who are trying to help us find employment again. I note that you are in NY. The guys and gals there are extremely blessed to have you as an advocate. Do you know of anyone in Jacksonville, FL that I might turn to for help me here? I need to find someone like yourself who has a history with employers of providing them with placements that they don't have to worry about. They need to build that trust level before they will take a chance on us and they won't grant us that trust. We really have to have a sponsor that they trust. I have had some tell me that I should not acknowledge that I have a felony on the application forms. But, I always do because I would rather they know up front. I don't want them to think that not only is this guy a SO but he is a Liar, too. Thanks for the ray of hope that you are to all of us! Everett Bennett

I was charged in Oregon, but I am doing my supervision in Washington State. Do they have anything like this application process here, or do I have to go through Oregon? I really want to get through this and move on in life Please help.

My son was charged in Oregon, took a plea "deal" in April, which was no deal, believe me, and is serving a five-year probationary sentence. We are close to WA, have family there and I was raised there, wishing we could go back. His aunt is controller for a potato farm and packing plant and could possibly hire him, but no housing arranged, so no approval as yet, just an idea. Meanwhile, he has yet to find employment in our small rural town. He cannot live with me because I work with computers out of my home (even though computers weren't involved in the allegation) so he's starving. Changes have to be made, so along those lines, I became a state point of contact for a national s.o. law reform group. If you're interested, please visit reformsexoffenderlaws.org.

Hello, my name is Steven, I can be found easily on any sex offender search engine with a simple click and using my last name.; it's as easy as that. In 1988 I was falsely accused of committing a sex crime against my son and despite the fact there was absolutely no evidence of any kind, a report from the Dept. of Children and Family Services, after a thorough ten month investigation that they found no evidence, what-so-ever, to substantiate any allegations made against me and were dismissing their investigation and closing the file, Illinois prosecuters attempted to incarcerate me for some 40 years. The State Prosecutor and my State appointed attorney coerced me to submit to the Illinois SDP program where an individual is incarcerated from 6 months to life in a State psychiatric instution until proven to be no longer sexually dangerous. After nearly 8 years in this program I was allowed free under strict supervised released and monitored for an additional 7 years until the courts released me. The law stated that after being released from theis program I would be free from supervision and all records quashed as well as the original charge. During the period of my release the State of Illinois changed their laws about registration from once a year for ten years to once every 90 days for ten years to once every 90 days for the rest of my life despite the fact that my contract clearly stated that after release I would be free from supervision and all records would be quashed, etc. During the time I was incarcerated at a psychiatric facility (prison with therapy), and the subsequent seven years, I recieved over ten thousand hours of therapy. In the psychiatrist's comments to the court to have me released from the program he wrote that "This man is safer on the streets today than the average man walking around and should be released henceforth." The Illinois court gave me my freedom, quashed the records and set me free from supervision in 2001, but with a catch; I would register as a sex offender and be carried on the sex offender roles for the rest of my life. The Illinois courts did not live up to their bargain and I filed suit, spent thousands of dollars and took my case to the Supreme Court of Illinois all to no avail; the registration stands. I moved to Colorado with my spouse and registered as I have since my release in 1995. My son, now grown, finally contacted me in an effort to apologize for his allegations, (he was 8 years old at the time), and we have since mended fences and have a solid relationship despite all the years I suffered due to his allegations which his mother put him up to. Having this confession in hand, I filed suit in Colorado hoping to be removed from the registery. The judge in Colorado hearing my case which was presented, in part, by one of the individuals who designed the Colorado State Sex Offenders laws and guidelines, stated that while we presented an absolutely well written and documented case that he was denying me my freedom from the registry and if we didn't like his judgement we could appeal to the Colorado State Supreme Court; which we did. The Supreme Court found in favor of the judge by two to one and I am still registering. Since my release I have faithfully registered every 90 days; and on time. I have broken no laws, reported to all 15 of my supervisors over the years, had seven of them testify on my behalf to be freed from their supervison and the courts, numerous civic leaders and others testify on my safety to the community and still, I have to register. When the court heard that my son was re-canting from his allegations the court stated that he would lie as an adult because of guilt over seeing me go to prison and the problems he sees me face daily due to the registration. The court held that an 8 year old son was more believable than a 29 year old son. My son suffers greatly every time he learns I lose another job to the registry or can't get work for up to 8 months at a time because of background checks. I have registered some 43 times over the years and every agent of the registration process shake their heads when I come in because of the unfairness of it all. Not one politician I have contacted from the Governor to Senators to Congressmen and women, to legislators, aldermen and women, and even the Mayor of my city will step forward to assist me in getting removed from the registry and almost every time the response is "My office does not get involved in these matters." It's not that these people don't want to help me it's just that they won't help because they don't want to look bad and affect their chances for re-election. I have written and sent piles of data to organizations that help cases like mine and each and every one states that my case does not fall under their criteria. So, I am left with a shadow hanging over my head, a constant threat of losing my job, when I find one, and my wife is finally wearing down and is now asking me to leave so she can have some sort of life. I go to school full time on-line and work a forty-hour job. I am majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology. I intend to obtain my masters degree and get involved with the therapy and treatment of sex offenders as there is a crying need for assistance to those sex offenders looking for some way to get on with life after committing their terrible crimes. As for me, I just got hired last week after telling the owner about my history and he actually believed me. How long will this job last this time? Who knows? I do know that there is no answer, I do know that absolutely no one wants to assist a registered sex offender in any way shape or form as they themselves may be tainted by this persons reputation. Sad, so utterly and hopelessly sad. If any person knows of any program I haven't seen or been in contact with to get and keep employment; I would love to hear from them. Until this horrible shadow is removed from registered sex offenders the community will be the less for it. Until society wakes up and realizes that over 80% of sex crimes against children are committed by family members and that less than 10% of sex crimes against women are committed by someone unknown, there will be no assistance for registered sex offenders. And finally, without sex offender treatment for an extended time, sex offender registration means absolutely nothing at all as the registry does not stop these crimes, families do. Thank you for your time and attention and I hope to hear some response; sometime. Steven

Steven, My heart goes out to you and I am truly sorry for your endless struggle this has caused you. The worst part is that you WERE innocent and still got labeled. I believe all people should be allowed a second chance in life even after committing a crime, but you never even were guilty. I hope someday you are able to get y our name erased from the registry and that some politician out there may help bring this horrendous stigma to an end. I work in a psychiatric facility and the saddest part is that my coworkers, who are well-educated people, feel that even the folks we serve who have committed any crime should live by the label given to them. I wish you the best and hope that you can achieve your educational goal and work where you want with others who are in such a unit. Just keep in mind that until the stigma gets erased and people view you for who you are, you may encounter some very tough judges of character. My husband, who must maintain his RSO status, was recently laid off from a men's alcohol and treatment facility that he has worked at for 3 years and has a degree in counseling because his job "suddenly" became a full time position and he was "off the record" told that they would never hire him full time due to his SO status. With stigmas like that, he'll never get any other employment other than factory work. He is now questioning why he worked so hard to obtain a degree to help others if he will never be able to use it. The saddest part is that an employer can legally keep someone from being hired because the employment and disability laws do not work in the favor of someone in this situation. If we can work together, and persuade our leaders in office, maybe we can make some changes. Again, Steven, I hope all goes well for you. Keep us posted about your status. hotcellodiva

I am replying in general to many of the post that I have seen here. I have to be candid (like I am with the job seekers I work with) Despite people being wrongly accused and convicted, unfair legislation, etc etc if you have been convicted of a crime, or plead guily to a crime, you are stuck with it, until such time as the statues change, or you are granted a pardon. I deal with people with criminal histories in general and do work with people who have SO status when they are on my caseload, (i.e. not exclusively). One of the first steps that they need to take is responsibility for the charges. If an employer hears a job seeker blaming everyone else for the issues in their life, that employer will will draw the conclusion that this person as an employee will blame everyone else for things that happen at work as well, and thereby not hire them. In general, most people shut down when they hear someone blaming others for their circumstances. This forum is about employment for people who have SO status, and what to do to get work. Part of the employment process for people with particular charges is to accept the fact that they may not be able to work in a particular field or job. If you have a felony DWI and have a Class A License, you will most likely NOT work as a truck driver. If you have a Felony Assault charge, you will most likely NOT work in the personal care / medical assistant field. If you have a Felony Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance, you will most likely NOT work as a Pharmacy Tech. It may be totally unfair, especially to someone with an incredible amount of skills/expereince in a field - but this is the reality of the situation. Rather than fight the near impossible batle of changing the perceptions of an entire society about a particular crime, I would suggest that people would be better served to ADAPT to their circumstances and look for positions that do not conflict. In this economy, employers have an incredible number of candidates who have all the skills, experience, education, etc to be great employees - which is an easier route for them than deciding to radically change their hiring process to accomodate someone with special circumstances. Persons with Criminal Histories need to understand that they need to be that much better than the other job seekers appluying for that job in order to secure employment.

I encourage SO's on my case load to look at retraining. You are eligible for financial aide...go to the fafsa website and obtain a pin number and fill out the application to the college you chose to attend. You need to at least have a high school diploma or a GED. In Washington State, I have gotten several SO's employment. There are employers that do not do background checks. You would need to do research in your area as to which employers do not do background checks. A lot of times it is construction, food processing (depends on the company) and small businesses.

Betty Jenne:

I encourage SO's on my case load to look at retraining. You are eligible for financial aide...go to the fafsa website and obtain a pin number and fill out the application to the college you chose to attend. You need to at least have a high school diploma or a GED. In Washington State, I have gotten several SO's employment. There are employers that do not do background checks. You would need to do research in your area as to which employers do not do background checks. A lot of times it is construction, food processing (depends on the company) and small businesses.

Thank you, betty. I appreciate the info, I'll check It out and let you know how It went.... JDR :)

Hello John! I assist individuals with sex offense charges in GA. The fact that you have housing is huge! I'm glad you're not dealing with that or with transportation issues.

Have you been able to get any temp work? What kind of job skills do you have? Have you checked with your church to see if there's someone in the congregation who might have a job opening? What about waiting tables? Are you eligible to receive General Assistance through DFACs? Just a few things to ck out---unless you have already.

Colleen

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