Back on the job

What’s the best anti-poverty program? A job. Nothing else comes close.

The Dan River Region’s ongoing economic development efforts have caught the attention and admiration of people, groups, governments and companies from across the country — and around the world.

But there is one segment of the local population that is having trouble taking part in the new, growing local economy due to their own bad and illegal choices.

Companies don’t want to hire people who have been convicted of felonies, making it tough for ex-convicts to find a job. The problem has caught the attention of one of the city’s largest congregations — Bibleway Worldwide Church — and was the subject of a recent workshop held at the Danville Public Library.

“We have a moral and spiritual responsibility to help them,” said Danville Public Library Director Otis Alexander. For his part, Alexander has compiled a collection of resources to help local ex-cons find jobs.

It’s not known precisely how many people in the Dan River Region have been convicted of a felony, but the problems those felons face after their release from prison are well known.

Many companies simply don’t want to hire them and won’t give them a chance to prove themselves.

As a group, most street criminals have not finished high school or obtained a GED. At a time when employers can be choosy and completing high school is considered just a basic educational achievement, felons are at a disadvantage that many can’t overcome.

The most obvious solution to the problem of companies not hiring felons is for people to avoid getting into trouble in the first place.

But once they have, a person who wants to rejoin society has a responsibility to take advantage of all the educational opportunities that are available, keep out of trouble and stay away from drugs and alcohol.

If felons are willing to do all of that, society must offer them a chance. While companies can’t be forced to hire felons, some businesses that don’t have a rule against it could certainly offer members of this hard-luck population a chance. One idea being floated is to create local companies staffed by ex-convicts to avoid the problem of companies that have hard and fast rules against hiring felons.

Over the past few years, the community has come to understand the problems caused by the lack of job opportunities for felons. Many of them have a tough time making the transition to a law-abiding, working life because they can’t get a job.