Brent Bailey believes former prisoners deserve a fair hearing before being rejected by a prospective employer, and a growing number of businesses, nonprofits and local governments are getting on board with the idea.
Both the city of Asheville and Mission Health System, two of the area’s biggest employers, have removed the box asking about criminal convictions from their initial job applications. Other North Carolina cities, including Charlotte and Durham, have also taken this step.
“You know they’re setting aside applications without even talking to people, without getting to know them,” says Bailey, a former inmate who now runs Project Re-entry. “People deserve opportunities, especially after they’ve served their sentences.”
Chris Barnhart, who owns the two Bruegger’s Bagels shops in Asheville, has hired several people with criminal records. “The biggest reason is that we all make mistakes,” he explains. “It’s hard to get back on track if no one will give you a chance.
Inmates, notes Bailey, are in the habit of getting up and working all day while they’re in prison, and most are willing to work once they’re released.
Former Asheville Police Department officer Tim Splain agrees, saying, “Some of the people with the roughest backgrounds make the best employees.”
Neither man is saying that employers don’t have the right to know an applicant’s background, but they believe that leaving the question off the initial application enables former inmates to present themselves in the best light before the employer learns about their convictions.
“I had a lot of rejections after I got out of prison,” Bailey recalls. “I was able to look at them as redirections, though: Every ‘no’ was getting me closer to ‘yes.’”
Many former inmates, however, get discouraged when they’re not even given a chance to meet a potential employer. “We don’t think people should have to suffer for the rest of their lives,” he continues. “We know the box is a screening tool, but if we don’t believe in redemption, then what are we doing?”
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