Solutions
  I. Provide a reintegration plan. 
 

 II. Provide parole and probation officers with tools necessary to help those they supervise obtain jobs. 

 

III. Give legal protection to employers willing to give ex-offenders a second chance.  

 
 IV. Seal the records of non-3G, non habitual ex-offenders.
 
I. Provide a reintegration plan. 
 
Upon release, each prisoner should be provided verification of his or her work history during incarceration as well as certification of educational and/or treatment programs completed. They should also be provided a driver’s license, identification card, social security card, and birth certificate. This information will facilitate the ability of offender to obtain employment, housing and other benefits.
 
II.  Provide parole and probation officers with tools necessary to help those they supervise obtain jobs. 
  • Parole and probation officers should maintain an updated reference list of employers throughout the state or region who are willing to hire ex-offenders.
  • Parole and probation officers should have authority similar to Project RIO to bestow tax credits already provided by the federal government to employers willing to hire ex- offenders who are under the supervision of parole or probation officers.
  • Parole departments should offer incentives for officers to assist offenders find jobs. For each probationer under the supervision of a department are found to be employed and kept employed, the state will provide additional funding to parole and probation departments to be used as financial reward for parole and probation officers directly working with those offenders. This will create an incentive for parole and probation officers to actively seek new employers willing to participate in the program and assist in expanding the updated list.
 
III. Give legal protection to employers willing to give ex-offenders a second chance. 
 
Prevent employers from being liable for lawsuits prompted by the criminal or tortuous acts of a non-3G exoffender employee, with the exception of gross negligence and liability regulated under Labor Code Title 5, Workers’ Compensation. This initiative would encourage employers to give ex-offenders an opportunity to reintegrate into the workforce.
 
IV. Seal the records of non-3G, non-habitual ex-offenders.
 
Individuals with public criminal records face obstacles in finding employment. A person’s sealed record should not be able to be considered by a private or public entity in employment matters except for by a licensed professional certification processes. This employability enhancement would improve public safety by drastically decreasing recidivism and allowing ex-offenders –who might otherwise be forced to resort to criminal activity to find an income –to take personal responsibility and become tax-paying Texans. (Notes: This policy would exclude 3G offenses which include murder, capital murder, indecency with a child, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated robbery, and certain serious drug and deadly weapon offenses. Nondisclosure will not apply to law enforcement agencies, the Department of Corrections, State Attorneys, other prosecutors, and certain professional licensing boards.)

 

 

 

 
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