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Detroit hosts controversial jobs fair for ex-convicts only

4:18 PM on 10/14/2011

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A jailed inmate walks in a temporary prison inside a Greyhound bus terminal September 6, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

DETROIT - In a city where over a quarter of its residents are unemployed, and almost 30,000 of them are either on probation or out on parole, Detroit is looking to put ex-convicts back to work. On Wednesday, the city held an "Offenders Only" Job Fair at the East Lake Church.

Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh organized the job fair, along with Wayne County Community College and Kelly Services. Pugh, a former television and radio personality in his first term on the council, has been advocating for job opportunities for convicted felons since he took office in 2010.

The city council has even gone as far as trying to get the question 'Have you ever been convicted of a felony?' removed from job applications in Detroit.

"That group (ex-convicts) has difficulties finding jobs," Pugh said in an interview with Detroit Public Radio on Thursday. "A lot of times, folks who come out (of jail) and get roadblock after roadblock and door closed, they give up and some of them re-commit crimes because they feel that's their only option."

The job fair featured up to 200 potential job openings from employers, and the only people allowed a shot at the jobs had to have a felony on their record. Pugh feels that the lack of job opportunities for felons, including violent felons, leads to recidivism.

"In this tough job market, we know that it is difficult, regardless of whether you have a felony or not, to find a job," Pugh said. "But we feel that population needs just a boost of confidence and some hope that there are employers out there who will give them second chances."

A Pew Center survey on recidivism found that it actually declined in Michigan by 18 percent between 1999 and 2004 because of a dramatic drop in the return of technical violators. However, returns to prison for new crimes jumped by almost 21 percent during the period.

Since 2007, the Michigan Department of Corrections' numbers show that parolees are returning to prison 33 percent less frequently. One of the organizations that offered assistance at the job fair was the Detroit-based non-profit organization Focus: HOPE.

Founded in 1968 as a way to ease the racial tension in the aftermath of the Detroit riots, Focus: HOPE provides educational and vocational training options for people with low incomes as well as assistance with food for those who are struggling.

"Our primary courses of study would be advanced manufacturing, which helps individuals to train to become computer numerical control machinists and the other is information technology," said Julian Pate, the Director of Education at Focus: HOPE since 2002. "These paths can ultimately end up with a Bachelor's Degree."

Focus: HOPE also has machinist training and medical assistant programs that are open to anyone, regardless of their criminal history or education. They have recently launched a program in conjunction with the "Earn & Learn" programs that is centered on black males ages 18-24 who have recently been incarcerated or chronically unemployed.

"What we're doing is trying to prepare people for the workplace," Pate said. "It might be janitorial services, or individuals who are trying to put themselves on a sustainable footing and be trained along the way.

"It's what we call 'work readiness training.' For four weeks we will be exposing them to the broad range of what it means to be a customer service worker, as well as to help them identify the course of study they may be interested in."

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**DETROIT** - In a city where over a quarter of its residents are unemployed, and almost 30,000 of them are either on probation or out on parole, Detroit is looking to put ex-convicts back to work. On Wednesday, the city held an "Offenders Only" Job Fair at the East Lake Church. Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh organized the job fair, along with Wayne County Community College and Kelly Services. Pugh, a former television and radio personality in his first term on the council, has been advocating for job opportunities for convicted felons since he took office in 2010. The city council has even gone as far as trying to get the question 'Have you ever been convicted of a felony?' removed from job applications in Detroit. "That group (ex-convicts) has difficulties finding jobs," Pugh said in an "interview with Detroit Public Radio (WDET)":http://wdetfm.org/news/story/hundreds-show-up-for-ex-offenders-job-fair/ on Thursday. "A lot of times, folks who come out (of jail) and get roadblock after roadblock and door closed, they give up and some of them re-commit crimes because they feel that's their only option." The job fair featured up to 200 potential job openings from employers, and the only people allowed a shot at the jobs had to have a felony on their record. Pugh feels that the lack of job opportunities for felons, including violent felons, leads to recidivism. "In this tough job market, we know that it is difficult, regardless of whether you have a felony or not, to find a job," Pugh said. "But we feel that population needs just a boost of confidence and some hope that there are employers out there who will give them second chances." A "Pew Center survey":http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=85899358529#turning on recidivism found that it actually declined in Michigan by 18 percent between 1999 and 2004 because of a dramatic drop in the return of technical violators. However, returns to prison for new crimes jumped by almost 21 percent during the period. Since 2007, the Michigan Department of Corrections' numbers show that parolees are returning to prison 33 percent less frequently. One of the organizations that offered assistance at the job fair was the Detroit-based non-profit organization Focus: HOPE. Founded in 1968 as a way to ease the racial tension in the aftermath of the Detroit riots, Focus: HOPE provides educational and vocational training options for people with low incomes as well as assistance with food for those who are struggling. "Our primary courses of study would be advanced manufacturing, which helps individuals to train to become computer numerical control machinists and the other is information technology," said Julian Pate, the Director of Education at Focus: HOPE since 2002. "These paths can ultimately end up with a Bachelor's Degree." Focus: HOPE also has machinist training and medical assistant programs that are open to anyone, regardless of their criminal history or education. They have recently launched a program in conjunction with the "Earn & Learn" programs that is centered on black males ages 18-24 who have recently been incarcerated or chronically unemployed. "What we're doing is trying to prepare people for the workplace," Pate said. "It might be janitorial services, or individuals who are trying to put themselves on a sustainable footing and be trained along the way. "It's what we call 'work readiness training.' For four weeks we will be exposing them to the broad range of what it means to be a customer service worker, as well as to help them identify the course of study they may be interested in."