Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ask Slashdot: Can a Felon Work In IT?

Posted by samzenpus on from the orange-is-not-the-new-big-blue dept.

First time accepted submitter Lesrahpem writes I'm a felon with several prior misdemeanor convictions from an immature time in my life. I've since cleaned up my act, and I want to go back into the IT sector. I keep running into potential employers who tell me they'd like to hire me but can't because of my past record (expunging won't work, I'm in Ohio). Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Should I just give up and change careers?"

10 of 720 comments (clear)

  1. America, land of the free... by Bohnanza · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...and home of the lifetime sentence for nearly every crime. Best of luck to you.

    --

    -----

    Sorry, I'm only a 1336 h4x0r.

    1. Re:America, land of the free... by Alomex · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well if you don't like it you can exercise your democratic right and vote against it... unless you live in one of the many states that do not allow felons to vote.

      Nice ain't it?

    2. Re:America, land of the free... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Or he simply doesn't know the difference. Either way, criminal background checks are required for most IT jobs I have ever applied for and have never seen anyone with a criminal history get an IT job. I have seen people get rejected for reckless driving and DUI as being able to travel and drive to remote facilities was required, let alone a rash of misdemeanors and a felony off the road.

      If you want to stick to IT I would suggest trying to find (or make) friends with others in management positions over IT groups and try to get hired. Some time on the job and some strong references will help your chances, but not guarantee anything as managers' hands are often tied when HR flags a candidate with a criminal history.

      I would also suggest switching your career to politics, as that career path doesn't seem to care much about criminal history.

    3. Re:America, land of the free... by jd142 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Well, yes, in the same way that Socrates is mortal because Socrates died.

      The thing is, in the good ol' US of A, where less than 10 years ago you could be a felon for owning 6 dildos, we can be pretty darn stupid. http://www.dumblaws.com/law/938. Yes, the law was overturned, but just one example of the way we are tough on crime. And here's some fun with our drug laws. http://netnebraska.org/article/news/938774/how-tough-nebraska-pot-possession-depends-county I like the quote “Let’s say you have a marijuana brownie,” Steller explained. “We would prosecute you for the possession of hash which is a class 4 felony.”

    4. Re:America, land of the free... by vidarlo · · Score: 5, Informative

      Now, while this sucks for the felon trying to land a job, it also sucks for the company, and lets face it, the recidivism rate among past felons is generally pretty high. Why should a company want to risk it's own livelihood or existence just to give you a second chance?

      I think there's a circular logic somewhere there. If you don't have a job, I guess you have a lower threshold for crime. If you have a job, and everything to loose, I guess crime is not so tepmting.

      In most of Europe, criminal convictions is simply irrelevant to jobs. Some jobs require your record, but mostly not the full - only a limited record. For instance, if you work with kids, you need a record clean of child abuse and sexual assaults. But for a general job in IT? Noone would even ask about your record. I have not been asked ever - except for a visa application to the USA.

      I believe the European system is better at integrating convicts back into soceity, stopping them from committing more crime.

      --
      Assembling etherkillers for fun an profit
    5. Re:America, land of the free... by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Now, while this sucks for the felon trying to land a job, it also sucks for the company, and lets face it, the recidivism rate among past felons is generally pretty high. Why should a company want to risk it's own livelihood or existence just to give you a second chance?

      Yes, it's pretty high precisely because of all the people like yourself with such an attitude. If an ex-felon cannot find a legitimate job they will simply turn to crime and thus will land in prison again. And because of that you will pay more and more in taxes to support that.

      So if you want a society in which recidivism rates go down and ex-felons are reformed rather than becoming life-long criminals who get repeatedly locked up in prison, we should all be trying to push for more ex-felons to be given a second chance.

    6. Re:America, land of the free... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No crime should ever prevent a person from voting. It's a fundamental right to participate in democracy, and if the goal is to rehabilitate offenders then they must be able to fully participate in society after they have paid their debt.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:America, land of the free... by Kabukiwookie · · Score: 5, Informative

      No, he was, by all appearances, genuinely guilty of at least one violent crime

      This is rubbish. Usually it's laziness on the part of HR.

      You have two candidates; one has a felony conviction, the other does not. Do you really think that the HR person is going to invest hist/her time to find out whether person with the felony was only arrested for eating a hash brownie or robbing a liquor store?

      --
      The mountains of madness have many little plateaus of sanity - Terry Pratchett.
  2. awww.... by Connie_Lingus · · Score: 5, Informative

    hello and welcome to my life.

    it's well documented here on /. that i struggle with this same issue, and have for over a decade.

    i wish i had good news for you, but i don't. it's going to be hard for you for find "regular" employment.

    my advice? try to find a small company where you can get hired without a lot of fanfare. finding and owner/ceo who does the hiring, or a contracting company where they have no real interest in caring about your background because it will cost them money if they don't place you, is pretty much the only way i've been able to get back into a stable, well-paying job.

    pretty much anyplace with a fulltime HR department will discover your transgressions and gleefully report to the hiring manager that they "gotcha" and are doing a really great job keeping reprobates like us away from their "sanitary" workplace.

    i've started my own small consulting company and have found that it's fairly easy to work from home (im a software guy) doing the code monkey thing...it beats digging ditches that's for sure. i advertise back-end/full-stack web development/server management on craigslist and it works.

    good luck...you are going to need some.

    --
    never bring a twinkie to a food fight.
  3. Re:Clearance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm in personnel security in a Federal agency. Given a few years of productive behavior in society, and positive evidence of rehabilitation, you will probably be able to mitigate any criminal conduct issues for basic suitability or even a security clearance.

    Most agencies use suitability (5 C.F.R. Part 731). As long as you haven't done anything horrible for a few years, you are honest about what you did, and your crimes do not have a direct nexus to the position sought, you will be good to go. The OPM-FIS web site has a little more information on suitability. Beware of the "issue characterization chart" that has been floating around since the JPL lawsuit. It's not current, and it doesn't take into effect numerous additional considerations that upgrade and downgrade issue characterization.

    Cleared positions will use the national security standard (E.O. 12968). Go to the PERSEREC web site and download the Adjudicator's Desk Reference. That will tell you everything you want to know about that. You might also want to find the web site of the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals, and read some of the published cases. That will give you a realistic idea of how contractors with criminal records mitigate them.

    I wouldn't bother with excepted service positions like law enforcement or the intelligence community.