DON'T PUNISH ALL EX-CONS

It was like opening a faucet when first one, then another, and
finally half a dozen ex-cons were found to be on public payrolls
around North Jersey.

And then the floodgates opened a few weeks ago with the revelation
that 1,800 felony offenders were employed all over the state in
taxpayer-funded agencies.

They're in the schools, in law enforcement and corrections, to name just a few.

In a few instances, like the case of Paterson's Javier Nu, the
employees had slipped through the cracks during standard
pre-employment screening.

Nu, 40, has been charged with conspiracy and with taking money under
the table as a Section 8 housing program employee. A former DYFS case
worker convicted for using drugs in front of a child and warning a
friend about a caseworker's visit, Nu?got the job with Paterson after
being paroled from state prison.

Nu?was an exception in some ways. He got a good job after leaving
state prison. And he stayed out of jail five years, much longer than
most in this state, where 62 percent return to jail within three years.

Just when it seemed like things are about to turn around in the way
ex-offenders are generally received in the workplace, a scandal like
this one threatens the reentry momentum.

My concern is that as major national initiatives like the Second
Chance Act under consideration by Congress are being launched to help
ex-offenders, cases like Nu's may be cited as proof that ex-offenders
are not a good risk.

And while New Jersey has no laws to restrict the hiring of
ex-offenders at the municipal level, when "ex-con in trouble" hits
the headlines, it's likely to turn the clock back on progress that
has been made through long painful battles.

Receptive Cities

Jersey City and Paterson have both been receptive to hiring
ex-offenders in public works jobs. That's certainly a model others
could follow.

State law doesn't restrict the hiring of ex-offenders in certain
public positions. Teachers are an exception. To protect the health
and safety of children, prospective employees are barred from
classroom assignments if they've been convicted of drug offenses,
child endangerment, or gun-related crimes. Caregivers who serve the
elderly, another vulnerable group, also require background checks.
That's the way it should be.

The Rev. Joseph Robinson,who runs ex-offender programs through
Pilgrimage Outreach Ministries in Paterson, sees the job issue as
only one of the components for successful reintegration into society.
But a job is the key to stability, self-sufficiency and a sense of
self-confidence.

A job makes a person feel like a useful member of society. Lax
screening or some other breakdown of procedure might have allowed
people like Nu to slip through the cracks.

For several years, the state Parole Board and other agencies in the
criminal justice system have taken the lead in promoting re-entry
programs by holding community forums around the state. They promote
the important role communities must play in re-entry by providing job
training, counseling, housing and programs supporting mental health
and drug treatment.

Peter J.Barnes, Jr. the state Parole Board chairman, said it's up to
each business and industry to develop screening procedures for
potential employees. At the same time, he said, federal tax credits
of $2,400 per person are available to encourage more hiring of
ex-offenders by the private sector.

New Jersey officials should remain open-minded about allowing
opportunities for ex-offenders to make a way for themselves once they
are released. Only a small fraction of the 1,800 public sector
employees were discovered to have committed additional felonies after
they got a job.

After many years of prodding employers to hire men and women with
felony records, it would be a grave mistake to turn back the clock
because of a few people with city jobs who continue a life of crime.