Why Hiring Former Prisoners Can Help Mitigate The Possibility Of Recidivism

There are many government and social programs aimed at lowering the recidivism rates. If you're an employer, one such agency may have approached your business about hiring former prisoners. In some places they even offer tax breaks and incentives for such initiatives. But if recidivism is a concern for them, shouldn't it also represent a concern for you and your business?

What Possible Recidivism Means for You

Hiring can become a stressing process all on its own. When you're going through the pool of potential candidates, one of the things you look for is the promise of longevity. You don't want to hire someone who almost certainly will not remain on the job long. Not just that, but someone who may repeat their criminal activity represents a risk. That's what recidivism is, and the rates of recidivism in some places are alarming.

Your Role in Making Recidivism Less of a Problem

However, one of the main ways to lessen recidivism among former prisoners is for them to find something stable for themselves. Keep in mind that many former prisoners find it difficult to gain employment once they're back in society.

 A lot of frustration, mental anguish, and negativity can happen when someone attempts to move forward but always hits an obstacle. Just by offering a former prisoner a job, you can literally change his or her life for the better. In turn, you will lower the possibility of recidivism for that person.

Mitigating the Possibility of Recidivism

Even if you feel fine with hiring someone with a record, you still have to consider the possibility of recidivism. To that end, you will need a way to tell who to take a chance on. There are many ways to go about this and a lot of them can occur before you ever reach the interviewing process.

Make sure they've gone through a program aimed specifically at reintroducing them into the workforce. There are several government and privately funded programs out there. They can act as an intermediary by bringing you the talent you need without you having to investigate whether the potential employee is ready for your workforce.

Recidivism is a prime concern of the justice system. There are studies, papers, and analysts that have a whole lot to say on the subject. Because of that, there are various means to assess both single and group recidivism rates. After all, it falls under the umbrella of risk assessment, so businesses have to consider it as such when they seek to hire former prisoners. But none of these things should scare you away from hiring those that have had some experience in prison or with the justice system.

In fact, you can convert someone to a long-term employee simply by giving them the chance to prove themselves. Think about it. You don't have to imagine yourself as a former prisoner, just think about it in simpler terms. If you were searching for a job and kept meeting dead ends, you would want to continue with the one place that was willing to give you a chance.

For more help, try contacting risk assessment experts to learn more.

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