Some Ex-Offenders Deserve a Second Chance, Job Opportunities

Summary

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In May, I passed House Bill 1332, a measure that stands to shift the debate over recidivism and the hiring of reformed ex-offenders. My legislation allows the state of Illinois to lead by eliminating the question about nonviolent convictions from state job applications. Too often after indicating a history with a nonviolent offense, job applicants wait in vain by the phone for the call that never comes.

Before I became state representative, I closely followed the issue of opportunity for exoffenders. The debate usually consisted of well-intentioned demands for more hiring of ex-offenders, followed by an understandable knee-jerk negative reaction by "anti-crime" legislators.

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Some Ex-Offenders Deserve a Second Chance, Job Opportunities

As we follow the racial tensions in Jena, La., where six African American minors involved in a fight were nearly railroaded into att...

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