KITCHEN URGES LAWMAKERS TO
ENACT SECOND CHANCE LEGISLATION
|
Kitchen |
HARRISBURG, October 17
–
State Sen. Shirley Kitchen urged lawmakers
to give ex-offenders a clearer path toward a
decent profession during a Capitol rally in
Harrisburg this week.
“We need to give non-violent ex-offenders a
second chance,” Kitchen said. “We need
legislation that prohibits employers from
considering non-violent offenses when making
hiring decisions and we need to encourage
employers to hire ex-offenders, when they
are qualified and appropriate candidates for
a position.”
Over the past several years, Kitchen has
strongly advocated giving people who are
convicted of a non-violent felony a second
chance to enter the workforce, to obtain a
good-paying job, and to go into businesses
that are now denied to people who have paid
their debts to society.
Kitchen will soon re-introduce a Second
Chance Act bill.
“By enacting a Second Chance law, we have
the opportunity to help thousands of
Pennsylvania inmates who will be released
from prison this year,” Kitchen said. “We
have the opportunity to reduce crime on our
streets. And we have the opportunity to give
thousands of men and women the chance to
leave behind a troubled past and look
forward to a positive future.”
Currently, Pennsylvania does not have any
law to regulate the way employers accept or
deny employment because of a criminal
background.
“So many people have minor records, or
records that are decades old, and they still
can’t get a job,” said Sharon Dietrich of
Community Legal Services. “It’s not right.”
Barry Margetich said his prior conviction is
holding him back from reaching his
aspiration of becoming a mechanic.
Despite a prior felony conviction, Margetich
said he has been out of jail and clean of
drugs and alcohol for over a year; yet,
employers won’t hire him.
“I’m trying live my life, but I can’t get a
job for the life of me,” he said.
Frederica Hoffman, also an ex-offender, said
there are many men and women like her and
Margetich who have the training and the
skills for a decent living, but can’t get
that “second chance.”
“When you first come home, you don’t have a
place to stay and you don’t have a job but
you’re expected to be a productive member of
society,” she said. “How can we do that if
you don’t give us another chance?”
Giving ex-offenders a chance to get solid
work also reduces recidivism and, therefore,
makes the community safer, said Leon King,
the commissioner of the Philadelphia Prison
System.
“It’s not just about being just and
merciful. It’s also about public safety,”
King said. “The way to make the commonwealth
safer is to get people working.”
Meanwhile, prisons across the state continue
to grow.
In 1971, there were 5,284 Pennsylvanians in
state prison, costing taxpayers about 33
million dollars. This year, Pennsylvania
Department of Corrections spending is
expected to reach 1.6 billion dollars for
45,000 inmates.
“That’s more than 30 times what we spent in
1971,” Kitchen said. “Building more prison
cells is not the answer.
Something more must be done.”
Enacting a Second Chance law would impact
the 10,000 Pennsylvania inmates who will be
released from prison this year.
“Today, there are many men and women across
Pennsylvania who want a good job. They made
a mistake, they paid their debt to society
and now, they’re looking for a second
chance. What better way to positively
contribute to society than to seek
employment?” Kitchen said. “Unfortunately,
many of these men and women are denied work
because of their past mistakes. Why must
Pennsylvania punish people who are trying to
do the right thing? This discrimination only
hurts Pennsylvania.”
CLICK
HERE TO LISTEN TO SEN. KITCHEN AT THE
SECOND CHANCE RALLY
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