State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

CASE STUDY 12THE PATH FROM PRISON TOEMPLOYMENT IS A LONG ONEAfter 22 months locked up, Spencer islooking forward to leaving ColumbiaRiver Correctional Institution. Spencerhas been through this process before.This time, he knows it’s going to take patience.He says, “When you’re released, you think youcan make up for all these lost opportunities; youcan rush to the finish line.”When it comes to finding employment, Spencerknows he’s looking at an uphill battle. While lookingfor a job, he has prison-related expenses, includingmonthly payments to his parole officer and thecost of any job training he might need. Accordingto Spencer, these training programs can costaround $150, and the parole officer might want$50 a month. Some parolees are also ordered intoprograms on drugs and alcohol, domestic violenceand anger management. This can make thecosts even more debilitating, but not making themandatory payments can result in a parole violation.Spencer feels the prison could providemore effective job preparation for inmates.Educational programs are available, but hefeels they have limitations. There are also jobpreparation programs, but only a few of themtranslate into finding work immediately out ofprison.Even with training, former inmates are subject toemployment discrimination. Being a hard workerand a model inmate is no guarantee a potentialemployer will look past your criminal past. Spencersupports the Ban-the-Box campaign, which seeksto remove the felony box from job applications.“I think everyone should have an opportunity tobounce back—have a second chance.”As stressful as finding work can be, Spencer saysmost of the pressure actually comes from theobligations he has to his family. They may notunderstand why the process could take a couple ofmonths. “It isn’t that my loved ones intend to putthat pressure on me. But people in the free worldare also dealing with the same stress and worries.”For example, his daughters, who are going intoa new school year, need clothes and supplies.And it hurts him not to be able to provide forthe people, like his mother, who supported himduring his hardest times.He says, “It’s important to prepare fordisappointment and rejection. That way, it’seasier to not get down on yourself and fall backinto old behaviors.”He credits his daughters with his motivation tokeep on the right path. In fact, he’s working on abook titled “Respect Our Daughters.” It includescontributions from 30 other inmates.Spencer marvels at all the potential housed inthe prison. “Why is all this talent being wasted onthe wrong things? Not everyone wants to be arapper. Some want to be architects. Others wantto go to culinary school. They just don’t knowhow to get there.”102