A New Way Of Thinking

1. A New Way Of Thinking Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies

2. Most ex-offenders have an employment barrier, such as: limited education, drug/alcohol use, discrimination against them, transportation problems, etc. BUT people having similar, or even worse, barriers have been able to find work and change their lives. If we can model how these folks coped with their circumstances, we can transfer that knowledge to ex-offenders. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Barriers Can Be Mitigated

3. Not every ex-offender is willing to do what's necessary to improve their lives. We need to invest our energies in those demonstrating a desire to change instead of spending all of our time and resources trying to get people to change. One offender's statement sticks in my mind: “We're criminals because we don't want to work very hard!” Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Don't Manage By Exception

4. Most reentry models are staffed with social worker types (helper people). This staffing pattern has a direct, and often negative, impact on the ngth of time an ex-offender remains unemployed, the type of job offered, and the compensation received. Job finding is a task and goal directed process, not a counseling one. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Job Search Programs Aren't Social Work Programs

5. As with any competitive situation, the winner of the game is usually the person/team who can adapt quickly and solve problems. The ex-offender who can adapt quickly, learn from mistakes, and reduce the number of mistakes they make will succeed more often than those who don't. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Our Job Is To Identify Problems And Eliminate Mistakes

6. Overcompensation is the key to ex-offender re-employment. They have to use more sophisticated job search techniques. They have to prospect for job leads more aggressively. Spend more time practicing their answers to interview questions about their conviction. Be willing to accept more rejection than job seekers without a felony conviction. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Ex-Offending Job Seekers Must Be Willing To Do More

7. It's our job to push people to succeed...whether they like it or not. Resistance to new ideas and to things that are fearful is perfectly understandable…are usually not the ones who made things easy. The ones you remember are those that challenged you the most. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Realize You Can't Please All The People All The Time

8. Nothing is simple and nothing is as it seems. Even when the ex-offender is well prepared and they're doing everything right...things can still go wrong. Because of this we have to invest time showing people how to stay motivated and persistent in the face of frequent rejection. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Understand That Nothing In An Ex-Offender's Job Search Is As Simple As It Seems

9. When the ex-offender walks in the door, they have everything we are going to work with inside of them. We can't change a felony conviction. We can't alter their educational background. We can't change their race. We can only change things they're willing to change, such as: mental attitude, a poor application, or resume, their interview answers, the way they prospect for leads, etc. Change what you can and forget about the things you can't change. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Understand That We Can't Change Much

10. If you've been physically abused, had something stolen from your house, been ripped off through a scam, or had a family member or friend killed; the chances are that your “forgiveness gene” has taken a hike. Because of this we have to realistically say that some folks will never forgive…or forget. We need to convince those willing to give a second chance and move on quickly from those that won't. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Some People Want To See Offenders Fail

11. Every employer, supervisor, manager, and company has“their own way” of doing things and selecting job applicants. Different states have different laws about hiring ex-offenders. Sometimes breaking the rules is the best rule of all. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Labor Market Hiring Practices Don't Operate Under A Single Set Of Rules

12. I've met too many offenders who “hope” the employer doesn't check their background. They “hope” the employer doesn't drug test. They hope that the interviewer is just looking for a warm body. The hope we want to see is the the type of hope that comes from adequately preparing the people for a difficult job search. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Hoping Isn't A Job Search Strategy

13. Critical time lines, inability to locate and access services (for whatever reason), and the negative perceptions of some reentry services by the ex-offender will effectively keep a significant number of ex-offenders from receiving any job search or re-entry support help at all. We need to find a way to make job search assistance available to both former and current ex-offenders. Online support and support in prison… prior to exit date…is the best way. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Many Offenders Will Fall Through The Service Delivery Cracks

14. There are so many facets to reentry that collaboration between agencies is crucial. Even knowing this, collaboration and sharing of information between agencies and organizations is poorly coordinated. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies Collaboration Is King

15. Everything boils down to relationships, belief, risk, and trust. No matter what we do or what our intentions are, when all is said and done there are two people who have to make a decision. The ex-offender and the employer. Sometime we can help that process, sometimes we can't, and sometimes we screw it up. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies It's A One-On-One Game In The End

16. There's too much emotion and personal feelings about the topic of reentry and the value of employment, as it relates to crime. Accurate information vs. feelings should be at the core of delivery design. Dick's Ex-offender Working Philosophies We Need The Truth About The Relationship Of Work And Crime