Dear Editor:
This is in regards to the article of March 17 about certifying released inmates to make it easier to gain employment. I hope this doesn't harm me more than it helps me, but I have to address something that has bothered me for some time.
I really have to disagree with that logic. I'm afraid that just certifying an ex-inmate for the skills learned in prison is not the answer. The stigma a person carries after being incarcerated carries much more weight than a certification. The belief that once a person completes his sentence, everything is forgiven is a myth in Missouri.
Seventeen years ago I was convicted of felony DWI. I did everything asked of me and have had no problems since. However, since last summer I have been offered four positions only to be told I couldn't be hired once my background check was received. And these weren't all glamorous jobs. Two were working in mail rooms and one was working part time in the stock room of a local department store. I have always been upfront at an interview and let the people know about my background so that there are no surprises.
In the state of Missouri to have your record expunged you must submit paperwork through the Department of Corrections (who can deny it) which then goes to the governor's office. The governor must then sign off on the paperwork. I have followed this path with no results. I have called and even written the governor's office more than once to see what the disposition of my paperwork was only to receive a form letter telling me that "It could and often does take two years for these papers to be processed."
In May of this year my paperwork will have been in the governor's office for five years. The majority of the states allow you to go through the court that convicted you. HB1394 works towards this end and in a much shorter time frame. Within 30 days of submission of paperwork if I read the bill correctly.
I know it is still up to a company about who to hire; this would pull an obstacle out of the road for many people who are just trying to get back to work.