Debt to Society
Much like immigrant workers discussed in my previous blog post, ex-offenders live in a fear which prevents them from attaining success in this country. In the case of ex-offenders, the fear comes in a different form. It is a fear of rejection and judgement. Shipler poses a scenario in which an ex-offender attains an interview at a department store for the position at the jewelry counter, however chooses not to attend the interview because she was previously charged with shoplifting. The reason behind her decision was fear, fear of rejection and fear of judgement. In the book,The Working Poor, Shipler states that most individuals that list "yes" in applications under previously convicted, tend to apply for low wage paying jobs. This occurs because they often do not feel worthy or accepted by society and therefore set their own standards at a minimum. Another factor that contributes to this issue, is ex-offenders lack resources to attain education and skills that most employers are looking for.
In my opinion, ex-offenders have paid their debt to society by serving their punishment ordered by the court system. There are many instances in which innocent people have been convicted of crimes they have not committed, as well as there are many instances in which individuals have committed the crime, served their time and have made positive changes in their life. I don't believe as society we should punish an individual their entire life for a mistake they have made and have paid for. I consider it an injustice and an oppressive situation that society continues to stigmatize these individuals. I don't believe it is any ones right to prevent an individual from succeeding in life, such as in the case of employers who refuse to hire individuals who have paid for their crimes.
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