Audio and Text Summary
Read by
Sharon R.
American mythology says that the US is a land of equal opportunity, but this is not true. The country was built on slavery, and the effects of that still exist today. Black Americans have worse mental and physical health because they don’t have access to medical treatment due to poverty and indifference. Unemployment and poor health are connected, and this is a big problem for Black people. Many believe that hard work and ambition will lead to success, but this is not always the case, especially for Black ex-offenders. They struggle to find jobs because employers don’t want to hire them, and this affects their ability to move up in society. There are millions of ex-offenders in the US, and being labeled as one limits their opportunities and rights. This leads to social disenfranchisement and increases the likelihood of committing more crimes. Denying employment to ex-offenders can make them feel like unproductive members of society and can lead to chronic illnesses.
American mythology promotes the notion our nation is the land of equal opportunity. This flawed belief belies the fact the United States was founded on sanctioned the practice of racially gendered slavery. The “peculiar institute” of slavery may have been abolished, but many of its social disparities persist to this day.
Historically, mental and physical health of Black Americans has suffered at the hand of care delivery system offering less access to medical treatment because of poverty, indifference or both. The connection between chronic unemployment and poor mental and physical health is usually as silent as the grave, nevertheless posing a great danger to the well-being of thousands of Black men and women.
There are many who believe that hard work and ambition is a surefire way to achieve the “American Dream,” of a stable, upwardly mobile career. Gainful employment is the most reliable way to a portfolio of highly desirable middle-class benefits, including employer subsidized health insurance, a living wage that supports the purchase of a home and a path to prepare for a comfortable retirement.
However, if you are a poor Black ex-offender who has paid his or her debt to society and is seeking a fresh start on the right side of the law, your dream may never be fully achieved. Everyday scores of “ex-offenders are denied the opportunity to gain entry into the workforce because potential employers are unwilling to hire them,” said Stephen Shepard, Baltimore Attorney and Counselor at Law.
“This is especially true for African Americans who are more likely to receive serious criminal charges for offenses than their white counterparts,” writes Shepard. This directly impacts the “ability of individuals and families to move up the income ladder over their lifetime and across generations.”
“Moreover, ex-offenders comprise a large and rapidly growing portion of the United States population. According to one estimate, more than 1 out of every 100 American adults is presently incarcerated. In 2009, there were 729,295 offenders released from federal and state prisons combined, and the majority of offenders who are presently incarcerated will be released back into society as ex-offenders at some point in the future.”
Shepard says “one estimate suggests that there are presently over 12 million ex-offenders in the United States, which represents approximately eight percent of the working-age population. Being labeled an ex-offender in America is essentially the modern equivalent to a “scarlet letter” because of the stigma associated with a criminal record In what some have referred to as the “collateral sentencing consequences” of incarceration.
As a result, “ex-offenders are frequently denied valuable social and economic opportunities to fully participate as members in American society simply because they have a criminal record. Ex-offender status negatively affects eligibility for various government benefits, such as public housing, financial assistance, food stamps and student loans.
Additionally, ex-offender status limits certain rights and privileges, such as “voting rights, drivers’ license privileges, and rights to foster and [adopt] [children].” As one commentator noted, “these collateral sentencing consequences effectively operate on ex-offenders as “a powerful form of social disenfranchisement.
Perhaps the most problematic collateral sentencing consequence is that ex-offenders are frequently denied opportunities to obtain legitimate employment and earn an honest living. It is well established that denying employment opportunities to ex-offenders increases the likelihood they will recidivate or commit a new criminal offense.
Ex-offenders faced with few, if any, opportunities for legitimate employment may feel left with no other choice but to commit another crime. Thus, ex-offenders who recidivate are not necessarily “bad people,” but may have few opportunities to legitimately earn a living because of a prior “bad decision.”
Nevertheless, citizens who are systemically barred from securing a good, steady job can grow to feel like an unproductive member of society, lowering their self-esteem and possibly triggering chronic illnesses.
Next week: For ex-offenders and their loved ones, the new year 2024 could be the time for a fresh new start, perhaps identifying low or no cost legal assistance to seek an expungement or identifying ways to overcome the stigma of incarceration.
