Letter to the Editor published in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Chicago Sun-Times editorial board identified an important problem in its Nov. 24 editorial, “Prison ‘reform’ can’t be a revolving door.” The editorial board correctly noted that nearly half of ex-offenders in Illinois return to prison within three years, and cited the inability to find work as a major driver behind this problem.
However, the editorial board’s suggestion to spend more on jobs training and granting ex-offenders access to Pell grants isn’t the right solution. Those measures would prepare people for jobs they can’t get in Illinois.
Here’s the real problem: Nearly every felony conviction carries a life sentence in the form of a permanent criminal record, which bars ex-offenders from employment.
The Sun-Times Editorial Board rightly points to expanding Adult Redeploy, which diverts people into drug treatment and mental-health programs instead of prison, and does not enter a conviction on their record. Not surprisingly, the program can reduce recidivism by 20 percent.
But what about ex-offenders who don’t qualify for diversion programs?
In 2013, Illinois passed a law allowing ex-offenders to petition to have their records sealed, meaning only law enforcement and certain types of employers, such as schools, can see an ex-offender’s criminal record. But a person is only eligible for sealing after waiting two to three years from the end of his or her sentence, and not all ex-offenders are eligible.
Illinois can break the cycle of crime and truly give ex-offenders a second chance by broadening sealing and expungement and eliminating wait times altogether.
Ex-offenders who have paid their debt should be allowed to move on with their lives and re-enter society in a meaningful way. By taking the right path on reform, Illinois can become a leader in breaking down the real barriers that prevent capable men and women from finding good work in the first place.
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