Felon wants to be a Drug/Alcohol Counselor

Q: Hi I am currently on probation for a class D DUI felony. I'm on concurrent probation for a class C drug charge but it is not on my record and won't be as long as I get through probation....so far so good! It's been so hard to find work and I'm fortunate to have a family member that owns a company I do work from home for. I have been clean now for a year and I really want to go back to school. My dad is a lawyer and he told me that it may be a waste of my time to go into criminal justice----I know I can file to get the felony off my record in a few years. But my question is this: Can I go to school for counseling/addiction specialist and get a job working with addicts? I've had counselors that have had drug and alcohol problems but they don't have records. I believe that folks like myself are the best people to help others in situations we have actually lived ourselves! Please help!

Thanks!

A: Hello,

It's admirable that you want to use your experiences to help people. I know of ex-offenders and felons who have gotten jobs as counselors.

My suggestion to you is to talk to some drug and alcohol counselors and ask all the questions you can. One question to ask is where to go to get certified. Perhaps you’d require a counseling degree to move forward with your dream. Once you find that out, you can learn about the certification process and the qualifications.
I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com

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Wife of felon wants to help him get a job

Q: Hello,

My husband has been released from prison after ten years about 3 months ago. Since than time we're finding it very hard for him to find employment. I mean extremely hard and he has become very depressed. He has gone to target, walmart, meijers, home depot, best buy, Kroger's, McDonald's, kfc, you name it we have filled out applications. He has called them on several occasions to check back about employment. He has two violent felonies and has had many doors slammed in his face. He just feels like giving up. I don't want him to do anything drastic at this point. I really don't know how much more to help him. Is there any advice you can offer us? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Concerned Wife

A: I'm sorry your husband is having so much trouble. Having two violent felonies makes getting a job difficult. It's time for some out-of-the-box thinking.

My suggestion is for him to contact his parole or probation officer. Often they know of employers who hire felons. They also have felons on their caseloads who have gotten jobs. perhaps the officer can point him in the direction of these employers.

Another strategy that often works is to have your husband contact the judge who sentenced him. Judges are influential people with many contacts. He can express to the judge how important getting a job is and his desire to stay on the right side of the law. He should ask the judge for any assistance he can offer. You will be surprised at how effective this will be.

I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com.

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Felon has a job and needs a Federal Bond

Q: Hello please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Eric, a resident here in the city of Las Vegas, I am a certified Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning Technician (HVAC), I was just hired for another HVAC Company here in Las Vegas, and is fearing that I may be laid off once again due to my background of being a felon, in the past I have been hired for several HVAC company on the spot, but after they receive my background report I am immediately let go due to reasons of having a negative past.

With this new job that I have just been hired on they have just received my background report back and had the employment agency send me a copy allowing me to know that they know that I am a felon, now I'm afraid of being removed once again, this is why I am now coming to this organization trying to seek some assistance toward trying to obtain some kind of bond to help me to secure my job, can you help me, before I am let go.

This issue is so very important to me and my life of trying to stay employed and earn a living for my family.

A: Hello Eric,

Either you or your employer can apply for the federal bond. For you to apply, you must have the application form. You can find it here:

Fidelity Bond Certification Form

Take the completed form to your local One-stop Career Center. Ask for the person that handles requests for federal Bonding. That person will be able to explain the bonding process in further detail.

The One-stop Career Centers in your area can be found here:

http://www.servicelocator.org/Search/etaSearchOffice.asp?zip=&city=las%20vegas&state=NV&proximity=10&search=Search

Ex-offenders and felons can take advantage of federal programs to get jobs.

I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com

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Trying to get a job with a misdemeanor

Q: I have a misdemeanor on my record which is forgery and its hard finding a job. Do you have any tips on how to get a job with that on my record?

Jam,

Hello Jam,

Your particular charge is what is classified as an "integrity" crime. This means you will have a very difficult time getting a job anywhere money or valuables are at risk. My suggestion to you is to contact your local One-stop career center. They have a lot of services that can help unemployed people in different situations get jobs. Many of the counselors at these centers have experience assisting people with criminal backgrounds. You may also find success applying to smaller companies that tend to do less exhaustive background checks than larger companies. Ex-offenders and felons often have more success finding jobs when the know where to look.

You can find your local One-stop career center here:

www.servicelocator.org

I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com

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Felons wants to Join The Military

Q: Hi,

I found your info on line and was hoping you could help me find help for my son. He was convicted of a felony that will be reduced to a misdemeanor charge upon completion of his probation, however, for the next year it reflects a felony. He wants very much to join the military but has been told by the local recruiters that the government has cracked down and will not allow felons to join. We even have the county prosecutor willing to modify his current charge if the military will state his acceptance.

Do you have any contacts or advice that could help my son? He's a good kid that made a mistake writing a check that belonged to his grandfather and was convicted of forgery.

Any guidance would be much appreciated!

Sincerely,

Kent

Q: Hello Kent,

You're on the right track. Frequently ex-offender and felon job searches start with some legal assistance. Petitioning prosecutors to downgrade non-violent felonies to misdemeanors is a good choice. If more felons did this, it would make getting a job a lot easier.
Next I would look to the Congressman from your district for assistance. They have staff who address constituent concerns. In a letter, he should express remorse for his poor decision and a desire to make his life better. He should also explain how joining the military would not only make him a better person but allow him to serve his country. His crime is non-violent so he has a better chance of being successful.

You can find your Congressman in the blue pages of your local telephone directory.

I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com

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Ex-Felon needs information on the Federal Bonding Program

Q: Hello, my name is Michael and I am an ex felon. I served 2 years for manufacturing with intent and theft of under $20,000. I was curious as to if I can apply for this bond and if so how do I go about doing it?

With the economy as it is I am having a real hard time finding a job where I live even at Mcdonalds .

Thanks for any advice.


A: Hello Michael,

I am assuming you are referring to the Federal Bonding Program.

A bond is an insurance policy issued by an agency that protects an employer against money or property loss due to employee dishonesty. Certain convictions make many ex-felons ineligible for private bonding.

The Federal Bonding Program is sponsored by the Department of Labor and issued for those who are unable to be bonded privately. The bond is issued at no cost to the employer and may be an incentive to hire an applicant. Criminal records become less of a concern to employers if they know that they are protected from loss of money or property due to theft. An applicant can be bonded the same day the job offer is made. You can get more information here:

http://www.bonds4jobs.com

I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com

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Felon in NJ Needs Help Finding a Job

Q: I live in Hudson county, N.J. And I've been unemployed for over 9 months now. I've applied to over 45 different places and its always "Sorry but our insurance won't allow us to hire an ex-offender," or simply no response at all! Please tell me were does a person who hasn't been in any trouble since 2004 go an get a job?

Sincerely,

Hopeless...

A: Hello Hopeless,

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble. My first suggestion to you is to contact your local One-stop Career Center. Each state has a network of centers that offer a variety of free services that can get you ready for work and assist you in finding employment. In addition, these centers offer training programs that may prepare you for a career. Some services available are:


Career planning and counseling

Workshops (Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills, and related topics.)

Computers with internet access and word processing

Daily access to thousands of job listings

Job-related magazines and local newspapers

Job postings and referrals

Printers, fax machines, phones, and copiers for job search use

The One-Stop Career Center in Hudson County is located at 438 Summit Avenue, 2nd Floor
Jersey City, NJ . Many of the counselors have experience working with ex-offenders and felons.

You may also contact the Offender Aid and Restoration of Essex County

Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) assists people with criminal records re-enter the community. In addition to helping clients acquire current forms of identification, OAR provides job development and placement services. Other services include transportation support and referrals for substance abuse treatment.

Contact:

Offender Aid and Restoration of Essex County, 164 Clinton Ave., St. 170, Irvington, NJ

I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com.

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Felon needs to know where to look for a job

Q: Hello,

My boyfriend has a criminal background and he needs a job. I wouldn't say that he's a convicted felon because he never actually got sentenced to do time in a state prison just time in the county prison. We live in New Jersey and I wanted to know where should he start to look for a job.

A: I believe you are a bit confused. If he was sentenced to served time in the county jail, he was convicted. Generally, county sentences are limited to 364 days. Anything longer is served at state prison. He needs to find out if he was convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor. Ask him to take a look at his disposition (release papers.) This is important because he has to know how to answer the "Have you been convicted of a crime?" question. If he was sentenced to do time, pay a fine or probation, the answer is "yes." Knowing how to properly complete employment applications will make the felon job search more successful.

As far as where to look for a job. Take a look at the video below



I hope this helps.

Are you a felon who is having difficulty finding a job? You can have your questions answered on this blog. Just send your questions to

adogzheart2@gmail.com.

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