Reintegration for Ex-Offender – Focusing on Employment Barriers and Policy in Hong Kong

Reintegration for ex-offender – focusing on employment barriers and policy in Hong Kong

Introduction

It is no doubt that it is important to us to help ex-offenders to reintegrate into the society. To help ex-offenders to reintegrate into the society, we have to understand the need of them after they discharge. According to the research and the information of non-government organization (NGO), the top three service needs of ex-offenders are financial assistance, employment and accommodation (Society for Community Organization, 2002; The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong, 2012). Since helping ex-offenders to get a job can also solve their financial problem and accommodation problem, it is important to help ex-offenders to find a job.

However, we can find from the news that many ex-offenders cannot find a job and there are many employment barriers to ex-offenders (蔡靜心, 2012; 團體：釋囚就業不足5成, 2012). Both NGOs, Society for Community Organization and The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong, showed that the employment rate of ex-offenders are low. Less than 50% ex-offenders are employed after they discharged (團體：釋囚就業不足5成, 2012; The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong, 2012).

        In this paper, I would like to discuss the social problem resulting from unemployment of ex-offender, employment barriers and evaluate the existing policy to ex-offenders for helping them to reintegrate into the society, especially the employment issue.

Social problem resulting from unemployment of ex-offender

        If the ex-offenders cannot be employed after they discharged, they will face lots of financial problems. More ex-offenders will apply Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA). It will increase the social cost in the society. Also, Research showed that there are relationship between employment and reconviction. If ex-offenders cannot be employed, it is easier for them to re-offense (Skardhamar and Telle, 2009). The high recidivism rate will influence the public safety in the society. Also, the social costs for the justice system and incarceration are very high for each offender. Employment plays an important role for decreasing or delaying return to prison and then decreasing the cost of incarceration (Norman, et al., 2010).

Employment barriers of ex-offenders

        To help ex-offenders getting employed, we should know the employment barriers of ex-offenders. There are three main employment barriers of ex-offenders. They are ex-offender characteristic and attitude, reality factor and employer and public attitude and discrimination.

1. Ex-offender characteristic and attitude

According to the statistic of ex-offenders’ profile and the clinical experience from social workers who are serving ex-offenders, there are some particular characteristic and attitude of ex-offenders. These characteristic and attitude will affect ex-offenders getting employed. First, they have low education level and low skill technique. Many of them have only junior secondary education level or below. Therefore, they are just able to apply the position with low education level and low skill technique. Second, some ex-offenders have limited working experience because they have just committed illegal work before. Third, ex-offenders tend to have lower self-esteem and negative belief towards employment. Some of them may look down on themselves because of having criminal record. They will scare and not to find job. Finally, some of them are drug abusers. They will face lots of health problems resulting from drug addiction. Therefore, it is difficult for them getting employed even though they find some positions with low education and low skill technique. All of these personal characteristics, which are universal in the global offender population, make them difficult to get employ (Visher et al., 2008).

1. Reality factor

The second main employment barrier is reality factor. Many of them will face financial problem immediately after they discharged. In Hong Kong, when offender discharged, the median of their saving for them to survive is only about $300 (Society for Community Organization, 2009). It is difficult for their surviving. They have no transportation fee to go to the company to interview. Also, many employers will phone to interviewees for interview. However, many ex-offenders cannot afford to buy mobile phone and even the fee of phone number. It is difficult for them to give the contact mean to company. It will affect them getting employed. Also, when they fill in the application form, it is difficult for them to provide the address to the employers. Since many of them have no fixed adobe or even if a street sleeper, they cannot have the address to fill in the application form. It will also affect the successful rate in the application. Therefore, financial problem and accommodation problem are the employment barriers of ex-offenders. However, if the ex-offenders cannot get a job, they will have no salary to solve their financial problem and accommodation problem. Therefore, it seems to be a loop that we should help ex-offenders to break the cycle.

1. Employer and public attitude and discrimination

A research showed that the main employment barrier of ex-offender is discrimination of the criminal record (Society for Community Organization, 2009). We can also see that there are many employment discrimination in the news (蔡靜心, 2012). Some employers will not give a chance to ex-offenders. Although some ex-offender may have better ability for the position, some employers will not employ them. Their application form will ask whether the employee have convicted or not even thought the employers just only want to recruit a cleaner.

Existing Policy

To evaluate the existing policy to help ex-offenders getting employed, we can also point out what the government and the society have done in these three employment barriers of ex-offenders.

1. Ex-offender characteristic and attitude

To improve the education level and skill technique, Correctional Services Department (2012) holds about 30 full-time and part-time adult vocational training courses for enrolment on a voluntary basis. The courses include electrical fitting and installation, air-conditioning and refrigeration, painting and decoration, environmental hygiene and cleaning, retail salesperson etc. For young offenders, Correctional Services Department (2012) holds about 16 half-day vocational training courses. Courses include hairstyling, mechanical craft and food and beverage service etc. To improve their self-esteem and working belief, some NGOs will have some counseling sessions to them.