Corrections Community

Please help! I am trying w/o any luck to help my brother who is rso find some work in Florida..... Every day that goes by and he hears " NO" from an employer . adds more depession and frustration to him . I feel totally helpless and he just about cries everytime I say.. " something will come up, keep your chin up" .. I just dont want him to give up ........any help, info and suggestions would be appreciated. gratefully from his twin sister, Ang

Regarding employment in FL, you might try going to reformsexoffenderlaws.org (RSOL) and go to the FL State Contact. I believe her name is Jody. She may be able to help in some way, I don't know, but she can definitely contact him and offer support. (She's in this fight, too.) Good luck. You and your brother are in my prayers.

Thank you Collen, I'm doing all those thing's, SSDI,DSS,DOR,Job site's,about 10 of them, I've been reluctant to go to the church's be cause of the contact issue's , I need to stay out of the public area's, NO contact mean's no contact period,these PO's don't mess around. any contact is an automatic 12 more month's inside on a violation, no thank you! So you can see my reluctance to venture to far into the public. BIG brother is all around,(thank's to GPS). And that's OK. I just keep telling myself that It;s my butt that's on the line no one Else's,So I don't let someone else make my call's for me.I do appreciate all the help I can get & info though, Thank you all! Keeping the faith, and plowing forward,one day at a time...... Respectfully, Johnny Rehder

Hi Matt, Have you heard of the home based type of business called Virtual Assistant- google to Team Double Click it explains all types of jobs or you can work for them as a virtual assistant. from home It boils down to this - you work for yourself and do secretatial, legal, graphic design,etc. and employers contact you for services or you can also work for one person only -it's all up to you. I have met with Director John Desmond recently to discuss improving servicers for parolees and probation clients in Suffolk County. i'm also a Vocational Counselor who would like to assist you in any way ;possible. I can show you many free employment web sites on the internet. If you have any clients interested in a paralegal career- there is a Paralegal Certification Online course from BOSTON UNIVERSITY that is great. Go to the web site for BOSTON UNIVERSITY to learn more. I'm working with a parolee who spent much of his time in the prison library helping inmates with their cases and liked legal work and is considering taking this course through VESID -it costs about $3,000 Mary Cannon LMHC, CASAC, CRC, MS Ed 14 years experience in the addiction field both inpatient and out patient theraputic comminity

Thanks for your regards. God Bless. RSO/ SOS

Colleen I need to get in touch with you..... Need information Dot in Ga

Hi, Our son is due to be released after three years in a California prison. While in, he became the Chaplin's clerk, Toastmaster President, and completed 4 semesters of college classes. (No, California does not provide college classes.) We, his family, paid for this service and the books. He studied on his bunk. He will be released in the San Diego County area. We have heard that is it almost impossible to secure employment. Our family owns a small business, however it is more than 50 miles from where he will live, and we have been told by the parole agency that he can not travel that far. Besides they could not pay enough for him to survive on his own. After losing everything, it is difficult for them to survive. How do they survive if they do not have family or any kind of support? My heart goes out to those who live so far away from any support system. We would be extremely grateful to anyone having any information regarding employment ideas in this area for a RSO. We do not know what to expect yet. We are fearful for the safety of our son and for our own safety. I pray everyday that we will survive this part of our ordeal, and that our son will have a chance to be a success story especially since in most states his offense would not be considered a crime. Regards and blessings to all.

I have not been convicted or been involved in any sex crimes, but I feel compassion for what is happening to most of these people Please tell me the circumstances of you your son's charges and conviction. I am gathering stories with a view to working on legislation to change laws that alllow marginal sex offenders and innocent people going to jail who are falsely accused, David

Hi Tnet, Could you and I talk? I would like to get something started , here in Texas.

I am in Michigan and just found out Wednesday night that the guy I hired Wednesday morning is on our Sex Offender's list. After much thought and after speaking with him about this I have decided to keep him employed. One of my concerns, is what, as an employer, am I required to disclose to my clients and other employees? Can anyone help me with this?

I found this article online: It might help since it concerns Michigan. Full disclosure: the law requiring sex offenders to register their presence in a community can present HR with complex--but manageable--retention issues. Publication: HRMagazine Publication Date: 01-SEP-07 Format: Online Delivery: Immediate Online Access Full Article Title: Full disclosure: the law requiring sex offenders to register their presence in a community can present HR with complex--but manageable--retention issues.

 From Forum Moderator: Please don't post the text for copywritten articles.  Please post a link instead. Thanks!

Thank you Betty Jenne. I found the article and have found another resource through it that I can contact. I really appreciate your posting.

My son was just released from prison in June here in Minnesota after 7 months, and of course his employer won't hire him back, and he's having a terrible time finding a job. He's applied at the local factories and never hears anything back, and he applied at Staples, and they called him but when he mentioned his felony, they dropped him like a hot potato. Who in MN hires sex offenders? he's a level I, his crime being consentual sex with a minor and the mother filing a complaint. I'd appreciate any help, because I'm beginning to worry about him getting very depressed and just giving up.

The existence of a felony conviction does have a certain amount of collateral damage. Regardless of the particulars of a conviction, clearly, offenders are held to a higher standard and need to rise to the occasion. A major key to finding that first employment opportunity is to be wiling to accept the job that no one else wants. That first job is temporary, and it provides an individual with the opportunity to prove to an employer that they are an asset and not a liability. I really commend “Concerned Employer” for the position you have taken with regard to keeping your employee. I also understand your concerns as an employer. You obviously understand that the past does not equal the future. I doubt that there is a need to disclose the conviction to your entire staff. If you have an employee manual, you can certainly include language regarding non-discrimination that would include language similar to the following. If you don’t have an employee manual, contact me and I’ll send you a copy of mine that you can modify. practices a policy of non-discrimination, and does not practice any intentional favoritism or indifference to any person based on age, citizenship, color, creed, physical or mental disability (including HIV status), ethnicity, family responsibilities, gender identity and expression, marital status, matriculation, national origin, physical appearance, race, religion, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, union membership, veteran status, socioeconomic class, education, profession, criminal history or other unlawful factors. Just to emphasize, a person with a conviction needs to be willing to accept the job that no one else wants as his or her first opportunity. -Dave

Dave, I do not have an employee manual and would like to take you up on your offer to borrow a copy of yours to adapt. As an update to my previous post, I have not disclosed to my clients or my other employees. I did have a long talk with the person I hired and am comfortable in my decision to keep him. As of this date, he's succeeding beyond what I had expected, clients like him, he's responsible, and I believe that he will be an asset. I also think that now that he knows that I know, we have a better relationship than we would have had, had he been still wondering if I'd ever find out.

I'm traveling until September 1st. If you give me a call or send an eMail after Sept 1st, I'll eMail a copy to you in Word. Contact info in my profile...

Asher -- I have not closely followed sex offender legislation, and my personal knowledge is subject to the sensationalized stories in the media. These stories range from a high school senior labeled as a sex offender because he streaked the graduation ceremony, to the individual a couple of years ago who had a couple of dozen offenses when he abducted and killed a little girl. The sex offender registry probably does serve a good purpose, however there may have been some panic influencing legislation, and in some cases, the label is applied too liberally. I agree that there should be an examination of the current guidelines, and I would have an interest in participating... - Dave

Hello Matthew, I've got a question for you, Have you ever heard of the SECOND CHANCE ACT OF 2007? If you have can I get you to break It down in a language that a layman can understand or an RSO can...... I've been out on parole for 11 months now,no job and no chance of getting one anytime soon. I'm willing to take that job nobody else want's but I can't find it yet,any suggestions? Thanks for your help, John Rehder

John most state's will have a program that can help, your parole officer should be able to assist you as will with getting in touch with these. - Zac http://www.wowhaxor.com

Some interesting reading on this topic. As a rso in Massachusetts I am finding it impossible to get work. One msg I read announced the problem, background checks. I am a well educated, white male, live with my gf who just gave birth to our beautiful daughter. I got laid off from a job I had for over a yr because of lack of work and the fact that I got a herniated disc in my back. The injury happened in May 2009. About a month and a half ago I started looking for employment. It has been a very difficult challenge, not only to get a job but also to stay upbeat and positive. This is an absolute nightmare with no end in sight. I don't believe I will ever find a job. Frustration is just one of the many emotions felt on a daily basis. Slowly I am losing everything I worked so hard to regain after my release. I was released from prison about 2 and a half yrs ago, got lucky finding the job I had and worked my butt off rebuilding my life. Now all that is being taken away from me. There is no solution to the problem, society wants us to go away and that is exactly what is happening. I read that many so's are living underground. As long as we are not in the public's view the majority are ignorant and prefer to stay that way. The whole I can't see it so it isn't there reasoning. I suppose I could rant for quite awhile on this subject seeing that I live it everyday but I won't.