Employers perspectives on hiring ex-offenders

Studies revealed that released offenders are returned to prison within months of release. To most offenders the prison has become a home and perhaps a hideout. A place where they are guaranteed shelter, three square meals, medical access, and protection from other gang members. A place where offenders find rest, interact with fellow offenders who not only care about them but also understand their language. In all my conversation with these returning offenders two things stood out, no job out there to make a living (employers are unwilling to employ) and lack of family acceptance (most families avoid them so they would not be a bad influence on the younger ones). Without jobs, ex-prisoners are more likely to recidivate. In the face of public antipathy towards ex-prisoners and the high cost of incarceration, a phenomenological study was conducted in Baltimore Metropolis using purposive sampling method to explore and interpret the lived experiences of employers who have interviewed and considered hiring an ex-prisoner. The focus of the study was to understand and explain the lived experiences of employers as they consider hiring an ex-prisoner. This book is a product of that study.