Ex-Offenders and Job Employment in East Central Wisconsin

• NCJ Number: 80483
• Journal: Corrections Today Volume: 43 Issue: 6 Dated: (November/December 1981) Pages: 40,82-84
• Author(s): B M Whiting; E Winters
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Findings are presented from a Wisconsin study that examined ex-offender attitudes toward applying for employment and employers' attitudes toward hiring ex-offenders.

Abstract

An anonymous confidential questionnaire was distributed to all persons on probation or parole who reported monthly to the designated corrections office. Of the 200 questionnaires distributed, 70 responses were received. The employer portion of the study involved 35 local businesspersons representing a selection of businesses where size and specialized qualifications would not exclude a large number of employment applicants. The study was designed to examine clients' general attitudes toward seeking employment, whether they felt they could find work in the county, if they were willing to move to find employment, and how important they considered their happiness in relation to the type of work they might find. The majority of the clients reported they would apply for a job opening for which they had no previous experience. A large majority were optimistic about job oportunities in the county, but about half said they would relocate to find employment. Overall, the responses indicated a strong commitment to finding employment. The employer responses indicated that employers were very aware that they could not legally discriminate against ex-offenders in hiring under Wisconsin law, and on the questionnaire, they indicated they would be willing to hire ex-offenders. Personal interviews with these same employers and an examination of their hiring practices showed, however, that they had strong resistance to hiring ex-offenders. Many indicated that they would hire an ex-offender in special cases where they showed signs of making good employees. This suggests that preemployment counseling of ex-offenders about how to present themselves in job interviews could influence the employer's decision about hiring them. Tabular data and one footnote are provided.