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Where can people with felonies go to find work?

I have been unemployed for nearly 9 months now. I have a professional resume, and a great work history and ethic. The problem is I am a felon. I did a lot of bad check writing a couple years ago, and will be on probation until July 2010. My fiance and I moved to the Nashville, TN area, and ever since then I have had no luck whatsoever. I have applied to every job listing on the internet from McDonald's to Receptionist jobs for law firms. I don't care what the job is at this point, as long as I can bring a pay check home to my family. None of the temp agencies will work with me because I am an "Insurance Risk". The jobs that my local Employment Agency has available are ones that require certain schooling, and/or training for a number of years. I can't afford to go to school until I am employed. We are so far behind on bills that we have had to make a lot of difficult sacrifices lately, and I am becoming more and more depressed. I know eventually everything will get better, but in the meantime my family might lose it all. I think that this country's views on felons is ridiculous. We messed up, we served our debt, and when we get out of jail/prison there are no jobs, most people won't even rent an apt. or house to a felon even if you have the money for it. The last time I checked I was still a human being, I still have to feed my children, clothe them, put a roof over their head. Trying to do all that is what got me my felony in the first place, and I don't want to go down that road again. Does anyone out there have any advice? Also, my probation office has no job listings, because fewer and fewer companies are hiring felons. Even the Wal-Mart, Lowe's, and Home Depot (which usually as a rule hire felons), have slacked way off on their hiring. The only downfall of lying on my application, is that I have to report my employment to my probation officer who then has to verify it by calling the company I work for. It's basically a lose/lose situation at this point. Thanks to all of you for your advice. Also, I have looked in to starting my own business. Banks won't lend to me, but I am trying to get info on how to get a grant to start my business. Wish me luck.

Public Comments

1. This is a lesson to all young people to check their bad behavior. It is increasingly had to get employment with a felony charge against you - your whole life. For some reason companies have incorporated no hire policies against felons no matter how long ago it was. I would suggest the possibility of starting your own business. Even that can be tough because banks won't lend to you.
2. When I ran a printing company I hired a felon and he was one of my best employees. He even gave me 2 weeks notice when he left. It is very hard I know but please don't revert back to your old ways! You could find a place or a company you would like to work at and offer a Free internship. Let them know you don't want any special treatment you just want to prove yourself. That is what this gentleman offered me, I didn't even have him fill out an application, I just gave him the federal and state forms and he started the next day. He was always waiting for someone to let him in to the plant and was always the person we had to stop working at the end of the day and tell him to go home. He worked so hard that when I handed out paychecks at the end of the week he was shocked that I included him, and very grateful. I did get a chance to sit down with him the second week and he explained that he like you had bounced checks all over town and had done a year in jail for it and had 3 years of probation. But by this time I wanted two or more employees that were that hard working to walk in after him Felon or not! It worked for me and him, and I gave him a glowing recommendation when his next employer called for a reference, and yes he asked me about the felon working for me and I said that this particular one was TOP NOTCH! I don't know what became of him but I am sure he is successful because he was determined Not to go back to his old ways! Good Luck, I know you can make it!
3. Right now, it is difficult for anyone to find a job. The unemployment rate is the highest it has been since the great depression of the 1920's. The current rate is almost 10% of the workforce in the United States is out of work! This is measured on people 16 years of age and older who are actively seeking work plus those who have jobs. That is the total workforce available, and 1 out of every 10 people cannot find a job. With that many people looking for work, employers have the advantage of picking from a very large pool of applicants. Why would they take a chance on someone who has already proved themselves to be a risk to their business when they have so many other applicants who have not been in trouble (or at least have not been caught and hence have no record). I work for a large retailer. We have even had classes on how to interview so that we get the best available employees because we have so many people applying for the few job openings we offer in each store. With the economy the way it is, not many people are leaving their jobs unless they get fired. So the number of people we need is smaller and the pool of applicants is the largest it has been in history. So getting a job with a felony on your record is going to be very difficult, unfortunately for you. I know that we do a criminal background check on everyone we hire regardless of what job they will be doing. It is my understanding that most big companies do that now including Walmart, Target, Sears, Lowes, Home Depot, Kmart, etc. Those places do not "usually as a rule hire felons" as you stated. They never knowingly hire felons! I don't know about fast food places. With the advent of computer data bases in the past 15 or 20 years, it is very cheap and easy for an employer to get your criminal background record. Years ago it was expensive and took forever, so most places didn't check anywhere except their local courthouse. Not so today; they can do a national check for about $25.00 The best thing for you to do is try fast food and do NOT put on the application that you have been convicted of a felony. If they don't check, you might get the job. If you put it on the app, no matter what they SAY they will not hire you. So you're better off just lying and hope that they don't do a background check. Many people come to this forum every day asking the same question as you and having the same problem that you have. I have not seen any real answer to their dilemma. Someone suggested going to the local unemployment office and finding out what jobs are available that they could possibly apply for that accept people with criminal records. It is sad that you can write some bad checks and end up a felon for life when you can charge up tens of thousands of dollars on credit cards and then just declare bankruptcy and you're home free. But that's the way it is.