CITIZEN JOURNALISM: Ex-offenders can't find jobs

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By Liz Essley THE WASHINGTON TIMES

CITIZEN JOURNALISM:

Haywood Warner, 54, can't get a job and can't get low-income housing benefits. Why? He's an ex-offender. Though Mr. Warner's conviction was in 1984, he said employers won't hire him because of his ex-offender status. He has applied "everywhere, you could say." Employers tell him, "We'll call you back," but they never do. So he tries to call them but can never get hold of anyone.

Activists will testify Wednesday before the D.C. Council on legislation designed to change the scenarios Mr. Warner and countless other ex-offenders face every day. The Human Rights for Ex-Offenders Amendment Act would make former convicts a protected class under the D.C. Human Rights Act in an attempt to shield them from discrimination.

"There are between 60,000 and 80,000 ex-offenders in the District, the highest in the nation," said council member Marion Barry, sponsor of the bill. "There have been repeated situations where an ex-offender tries to get a job and employers say, 'Thanks, but no thanks.' "

Marina Streznewski of the D.C. Jobs Council will testify in support of the bill. She said the issue should be especially pressing in light of a tough economy and high unemployment.

"Employers are seeing an individual's offender status as a way of sorting among candidates," she said. "[Ex-offenders] have paid their debt to society. How long should they be expected to pay?"

But opponents said that amending the Human Rights Act to include ex-offenders would increase employer liability. Indeed, business groups succeeded in blocking previous versions of the bill starting in 2005. Representatives from the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, for example, worry that employers could feel forced to hire ex-offenders for fear of a lawsuit.

"If two equally qualified candidates are vying for one position, will the ex-offender be hired simply to avoid a potential lawsuit? We hope not," chamber President Barbara Lang said in 2007 testimony.

She also said the bill could push jobs out of the city, with employers finding it easier to conduct business in Maryland and Virginia rather than face increased liability issues in the District.

The Consortium of Universities and the D.C. Hospital Association both oppose the bill for the safety of what they call "vulnerable populations" - young students and sick patients.