KAILUA-KONA— The breath of fresh air after leaving prison can often be fouled by the fumes of unemployment.
KAILUA-KONA— The breath of fresh air after leaving prison can often be fouled by the fumes of unemployment.
Too many employers, when they see “yes” after “are you a convicted felon” or “have you spent time in prison” section of a job application, immediately toss it out, said Kimi Palacio, board member of Going Home Hawaii, which held a breakfast recently to recognize the employers who don’t — the ones who hire ex-convicts through state re-entry programs
“Many of them are able to get rehired at their former jobs, as they were good employees who were not incarcerated due to job-related circumstances,” Palacio wrote about the program. “Job placement depends on the individual and their skills and abilities; which is why the WDD staff members assisting these participants also facilitate job training classes to improve their skills and therefore, increasing their opportunities.”
The skills include how to write resumes, dress for an interview and similar topics.
Palacio said many of the people in the program find work in retail, food and beverage service and at hotels. Some also enter other fields, such as working in warehouses where they train in using a forklift, providing a new skill to the employee and a new service to the employer.
Going Home started working with the state in April 2014, teaming with 52 employers who hired 144 people. The breakfast recognition on Thursday also was held to encourage other employers to join.
One company that’s been hiring people for years through it and similar programs is SpeediShuttle, an airport transfer and charter service.
That’s because it’s to both the company and person’s benefit, said operations supervisor Raelynn Ascino.
“They need a job and we need an employee,” she said. “If you’re willing to learn, we’re willing to teach.”
She should know. Ascino is living proof the program can work.
“I had five days left to find a job or I would go back (to prison) for years,” she said, but then she was hired on by SpeediShuttle, where she started as a greeter and worked her way up to her current position.
She said the nature of their work helps them hire people with little work experience, as working as a greeter at the airport doesn’t require specialized knowledge or experience.
And the company offers the chance for people to advance, she said. Although legal changes have made it harder to get drivers because of additional requirements, she said, the opportunity applies to people with and without a criminal record.
The group’s effort comes amid a developing focus on cutting down recidivism statewide, where people recently out of prison reoffend.
A bill introduced by state House Vice Speaker John Mizuno would create a commission charged to reduce the number of Hawaii residents in prison by 25 percent by 2025.
“This bill is about dealing with the root causes which are lack of education, poverty, illegal drug use, mental health issues, and having the proper support groups that will keep those who commit crimes from returning to that life once their time is served,” wrote Michael Kitchens, founder of the group Stolen Stuff Hawaii, whose group helped draft the measure.
It calls for changes in the sentencing rules, and the creation of new programs.
“In essence we want to substantially reduce crime, thus ensuring safer communities statewide, while providing an employment or trade skill to our people who are incarcerated,” Mizuno wrote in the release.
It’s hard to say how much of an influence enrollment in the program has on recidivism, Palacio said.
“At Going Home, we are working on gathering this data from our members to get an idea of the overall impact that reintegration services have on public safety overall, however, we have been unable to do so at this time,” she said.