Should a Business Hire Past Felons?

Guests: Opal Levy, Director at Sisters Ink Management Consultant Heneka Watkis-Porter, CEO of the Entrepreneurial You Podcast & TV Show Welcome to Your Business Matters, a podcast of EXIM Bank Jamaica where we bring thought leaders together on thought-provoking ideas and methods to help grow your business. "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" is a question that often appears on travel documents, government forms, and job applications. Police records are stuck with you for life and are known to do more damage than anything else. Rap sheets are arguably a show of character. In 2019, a civil servant who was arrested for not being able to repay her debt on time told the Jamaica Gleaner that the job hunt since then has been extremely difficult for her. The woman reportedly received certification in counseling at the prison where she resided and was also a tutor of several CXC subjects for other inmates. Since her release due to good behavior, the past inmate stated that job searches were futile even by the government ran organizations and expressed that this move by the Jamaican government facilities sends mixed signals. Millions of dollars are invested in the rehabilitation of prisoners, the question however remains whether we have systems in place to effectively reintegrate felons back into our society. Today, we examine the topic, "Should Businesses Hire Felons?" Some of what we discussed include: If the justice system has not forgiven felons, why should employers? Re-integrating ex-convicts back into society. Is prison a form of punishment or a means of rehabilitation? We also touched base with a member of our audience Ronald Stephenson who posed this question to our guests “ Do we have rules governing the hiring of these types of employees?” Connect with our guests: Connect with Opal- Sister’s Ink at sisterink1971@gmail.com or contact their office at 876-431-8823 Thank you for joining us on Your Business Matters hosted by Heneka Watkis-Porter of the Entrepreneurial You podcast. Remember to join us nex