The email came from a woman who I will call “Anna” for the sake of protecting her identity and her current job.
Here is what she wrote to me about her situation:
“I have a drug charge and I have wonderful work references but ever since coming back to Columbus, I cannot find a decent job. As soon as they hear I have a felony the interview is over. I even took a manufacturing class at EMCC because I was told that, without it, I could not be interviewed for a job. My references were checked and they were going to hire me but the felony keeps me from being hired by their company for any job in their facility. I am working, but have no benefits. I’m blessed to have a job but it’s not permanent. I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do, but no one will give me a chance.”
Anna’s story is far more common than you may realize.
It is the story of thousands of Mississippians. Many of them, like Anna, live here in Columbus. It is my story, too.
For the first five years after I was released from prison, I worked a series of low-paying jobs — landscaper, carwash attendant, thrift-store clerk, janitor — because it seemed to be the only work available to me as a result of my felony conviction for DUI.
I am more fortunate than most felons, I realize, because I was eventually allowed to return to my profession, thus escaping a life of working-class poverty. I hope that people will say that I have made good on this second chance. I am always mindful of it.
I do not consider myself a victim: Actions have consequences and debts must be paid. All that I lost, I lost on account of my own behavior.
But in some respects, felons never really quit paying their “debt to society,” no matter how long they have been law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying citizens.
Today’s Scarlet Letter is “F.” Many wear it forever.
For those people, the felony conviction confines them to a lifetime of low-paying jobs. Their potential goes unrealized and, as a result, their positive impact on their communities go largely unfulfilled.
Some companies have policies that prohibit hiring felons. But even those who have no policy against hiring felons rarely do if any other candidate is available.
Even those who have had their felony convictions expunged, are still required to answer truthfully to a question found on virtually every job application: “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”
It is almost always a deal-breaker if the employer has any other options.
There are currently more than 18,000 Mississippians in prison on felony charges, most of them for non-violent offenses, many of them — like Anna — sent to prison on drug charges.
What those people will find when they are released from prison is that the greatest impact on their lives is not the time they spend in prison, but the lifetime of economic hardship that follows, no matter what efforts they make to redeem themselves.
Last year, the state legislature made changes that addressed prison overcrowding by reducing some crimes from felony to misdemeanor status for certain drug and property offenses.
It is a good move, not just for the state’s budget, but for the overall health of our communities. Currently, one in 10 work-eligible adults in Columbus are unemployed. Many of them are felons, for whom opportunities are extremely limited.
We say we believe in “second chances.” yet many are deprived of that opportunity — to the benefit of no one.
When people like Anna are denied the opportunity to make amends for their mistakes and fulfill their potential, we all lose.
We should take a very hard look at how we consider crimes. Felony convictions have grave consequences and should be reserved for those whose offenses warrant those consequences.
The legislature has taken one small step.
We should not stop there. The stakes, both for the offender and the larger community, are too high.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.