Why is Second Chance Employment Important?
Second chance employment is not just an opportunity for people to rebuild their lives but provides many benefits to other parts of society.
individuals and families
Gainful employment and being able to provide for yourself and your family are vital to building self-esteem and feeling connected to something larger than yourself. Additionally, formerly addicted people who are employed are more likely to stay engaged in the recovery process, and those who have previous criminal justice involvement are less likely to re-offend. And for many, making money legally is a significant milestone in their journey.
Communities
Higher employment (or lower unemployment) is vital for communities. Greater employment is correlated with less crime, less homelessness, and less poverty. It also leads to a greater tax base for the community to draw upon for services.
Providing employment opportunities for individuals in recovery and who were formerly criminal justice-involved contributes to creating a safer community overall. Additionally, when people are given a chance to provide for themselves legally, they are much less likely to resort to illegal means. This prevents further victimization of citizens and businesses.
businesses
Employers can see many great benefits from hiring second chance applicants. According to the FBI, there are between 70 and 77 million adults in the US with a criminal record. This means there are many applicants in this pool that are overlooked. There is a great opportunity for employers to find quality employees with less competition than for the general market.
Hiring from this pool of talent also is a great way to address any DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives that your company may have. This is not only because people of color have been disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system, but also because diversity of background is an important and often overlooked type of diversity.
Finally, a study shows that second chance hires are less likely to turnover than non-second chance hires, which can lead to cost savings for employers.
