MICHIGAN'S REFORMED PRISONERS GET JOBS

A criminal record is a good predictor of future behavior. That's what
an executive at a background check company said in the Aug. 7
article, "More felons records erased." But it isn't true. New
research from the University of Maryland and University of South
Carolina shows that a person who has been crime-free for seven years
has essentially the same risk of committing a crime as a person who
has never committed a crime.

Even though people with old records aren't a threat, we treat them as
second-class citizens. Two-thirds of employers will not hire someone
with a record, and many jobs -- such as jobs in transportation,
schools, health care, daycare, aviation and private security -- are
off limits, even if the record is minor or ancient. So it is no
surprise that more people are trying to expunge their records.

I represent people who are getting expungements, and my clients
aren't rapists and murderers. Those folks aren't allowed to get
expungements. No, my clients are kids who did stupid things and then
grew up. My clients played pranks, wrote bad checks to avoid eviction
or failed to report a part-time job while they were on welfare. Many
clients have worked for years in fields like health care, but aren't
able to work anymore under harsh new laws that deprive them of their
livelihood based on old convictions.

When people get an expungement, they can go from welfare to work.
They can get a job that supports their kids. But to get that
expungement, they first have to prove to the judge that they've
changed. And people do change.

Miriam Aukerman

Reentry Law Project

Legal Aid of Western Michigan

Grand Rapids .