S.F. may ease ex-felon hiring

Sacramento Bee ^ | 10/3/5 | Rachel Osterman

[SmithL]

Eager to find a job after leaving jail for stalking, burglary and vandalism convictions, Richard Karelas filled out more than 30 applications that, he said, asked whether he had ever been convicted of a felony.

"I would get a look from people like, 'Oh, man, a hardened criminal,' " said Karelas, 56, of Rancho Cordova. "As soon as they put a label on you, you don't have a fair chance."

Experiences such as this are driving an effort in San Francisco to eliminate the practice of requiring applicants for city jobs to disclose upfront whether they have ever been convicted in court.

If successful, the San Francisco initiative would stand as a high-profile deviation from decades of tough-on-crime policies and post-9/11 security measures that, advocates say, have made it more difficult for former convicts to re-enter daily life.

But even San Francisco's human resources director says some information could be lost by eliminating the question. And San Francisco would be alone among more than a dozen California municipalities the city surveyed if it drops the requirement.

"It doesn't eliminate criminal background screening altogether," Tom Ammiano, the supervisor who introduced the measure, said in explaining the city can ask about convictions during subsequent interviews. "But it's about keeping the door open. ... San Francisco has always been at the forefront."

The measure is not binding - it only requires the city's Human Resources Department to review the criminal conviction question on job applications.

"I haven't seen any resolution or law like this," said Roberta Meyers-Peeples, co-director of the National Hire Network, a New York City group that supports ex-felon rights.

San Francisco's 11 supervisors could vote on the resolution as early as mid-October, and if it passes, it would go to Mayor Gavin Newsom's desk.

[SmithL]

Are the un-convicted felons already working in San Francisco willing to work with previously-convicted felons?

[JAWs]

You know, the first rape or robbery by an 'ex'-felon (sic) will open Baghdad by the bay to massive liability.

[starfish923]

Are the un-convicted felons already working in San Francisco willing to work with previously-convicted felons?

Lol. Sure they are because they've been doing so for years.
Housing, transportation, security....the list is endless.

[stompk]

finally pedophiles will get a fair chance at those much needed teaching jobs again ! /sarcasm

[Zuben Elgenubi]

People of San Francisco.

Do not hire this man

[Clemenza]

I'd like to hold my head up and be proud of who I am
But they won't let my secret go untold
I paid the debt I owed them,but they're still not satisfied
Now I'm a branded man out un the cold

When they let me out of prison,I held my head up high
Determined I would rise above the shame
But no matter where I'm living,the black mark follows me
I'm branded with a number on my name

Repeat verse 1

If I live to be a hundred,I guess I'll never clear my name
'Cause everybody knows I've been in jai
No matter where I'm living,I've got to tell them where I've been
Or they'll send me back to prison if I fail

Repeat verse 1

Now I'm a branded man out un the cold

[Centurion2000]

"I would get a look from people like, 'Oh, man, a hardened criminal,' " said Karelas, 56, of Rancho Cordova. "As soon as they put a label on you, you don't have a fair chance."

You put the label on yourself.

[Egon]

"As soon as they put a label on you, you don't have a fair chance."

So, when you "fall off the wagon" and commit another offense while driving one of my company vans, wearing my company's logo on your shirt, are you going to be sure and tell opposing counsel that my company shouldn't be liable for damages caused by you?

That's only fair, isn't it?

[cripplecreek]

It should depend on the felony and the job. Who would you rather have loading luggage on to an airplane, A dangerous felony drunk driver like myself or an unknown illegal alien?

[SmithL]

Let me get back to you on that.
; )

[cripplecreek]

I'm not asking to fly the plane or drive a school bus. I'm just asking for preference over illegal aliens for jobs. Again, who do you want sweeping the floors at a nuclear plant, an illegal named Mohammad AKA Juan, or someone like myself who has a ten year old drunk driving arrest?

[ApplegateRanch]

I wonder which well-connected's unemployable progeny REALLY prompted this?

[HamiltonJay]

Eager to find a job after leaving jail for stalking, burglary and vandalism convictions, Richard Karelas filled out more than 30 applications that, he said, asked whether he had ever been convicted of a felony.

"I would get a look from people like, 'Oh, man, a hardened criminal,'

So lets get this straight, he's a convicted stalker... he's a convicted thief, and he's been convicted of vandalizing property.... Heaven forbid someone actually decide, nope, don't want this three time criminal in my organization.

[radiohead]

People hear 'felon' and they go off the deep end. A felony is a crime for which the sentence is more than that given for a misdemeanor, which is generally a year. That includes embezzlement, drunk driving, check kiting, and yes, murder and rape. I need to know what the crime was before I pass judgment on the person.

This guy has convictions for 'stalking, burglary and vandalism.' His employer should know this. If he's done his time and is looking for work, I hope he gets it. But he should get it with an employer who knows his past. I'd feel a lot different about hiring this guy, than someone who had a problem w/the IRS or a very old, 1 time drunk driving conviction.

If SF changes the employment questions, the employer liability will be overwhelming.

[cripplecreek]

There was a time when a felon was someone who had committed a violent crime. My first drunk driving arrest came when I was 21 the second came almost ten years later. The second time I was arrested for drunk driving it was a misdimenor at the time of the arrest but a felony at the time of sentencing. Ive long since quit drinking and have moved on with my life.

[mountainlyons]

Big deal! You should have had to tried to get a job when Kerry said veterans were baby killers and you put down that you were a Veteran. I had a City of Boulder clerk tell me that they did not give veterans preference because it was unfair! It would probably been easier to get a job if I were a felon.

[SmithL]

So much for the flip answer. I have never thought that having a conviction should be a ban for future employment. Nevertheless, the question needs to be asked, and certain convictions should be a bar to certain jobs. By not even asking the question, San Francisco is exposing itself, and its citizens, to unacceptable risks.

[cripplecreek]

I wasn't trying to be flippant. I agree that you shouldn't allow people with violent pasts work with the public any more than you would allow a child molester to drive a school bus. I understand your well founded concern about liability and potential danger, I'm just pointing out that it needs to be more than a simple yes or no sort of thing.

Appropriate jobs for appropriate people. Former felons working is a lot better than former felons on welfare.