This week’s dilemma is as follows:
You run a small company, and you’re currently looking to hire a new assistant. You interview a guy who’s perfect in every way, but ufortunately, he served time in prison for aggravated burglary and assault. He explains that he’s trying to get his life together, and admits that he made some huge mistakes. He just needs a chance to prove that he’s a changed man.
What do you do? Do you give him that chance, and take a risk by employing him, or do you send him on his way, and look for other suitable candidates? What would you do?
medumb
August 7
9:10 am
It is a hard call. I would like to think that I would, especially considering the area I grew up in, and the area I work in now.
If he has some personal/behavioural references from prison, I would probably lean towards hiring him. But if there are no references, then probably not.
Aymless
August 7
10:33 am
References! The man needs to have really good reference!
Marianne McA
August 7
11:01 am
I’d look for someone else.
Las
August 7
12:16 pm
If he only just got out of prison…I want to say that I would if he had great references, but I just don’t know. The type of business I owned would be a big factor in my decision. Also, was if just a one time crime or did he have a history of arrests without convictions beforehand?
Shiloh Walker
August 7
12:31 pm
I’m not sure… would depend on what my gut said about him, and I’d want to talk to people who knew him. People can change, turn their lives around-so if I had a good feeling about him, I’d like give him a chance.
Charlie
August 7
1:49 pm
Hit the road. If he were just a burglar I might consider him. But the assault charge is a deal breaker. I have no patience for violent criminals.
Anon76
August 7
2:55 pm
Tough call. References and gut instinct would play a huge factor.
Plus I’d want him to explain a bit about the assault charges. Sometimes extenuating circumstances are involved. My hubster knows a local guy who went to prison for murder. Said he is a real nice guy. Unfortunately, the man was at a bar and ended up in an altercation with another guy. They went outside, the one guy swung and missed while this man’s punch connected. Down the guy went…and he hit his head on the curb. Dead almost instantly. Yes, they shouldn’t have been fighting, but still…
Many people do change in prison, while others, well, never. The sad part is, it’s a tossup as to whether they change for the better or worse.
Fae Sutherland
August 7
3:52 pm
I’d speak to his parole officer, ask for more references than usual and speak to them all extensively, and I’d probably do some googling to look into his case myself to see what the real deal is. But if it all checked out and I had a good vibe, yeah I’d hire him.
I’d not leave him alone in my business or put him in charge until he’d above and beyond proved himself, though.
Janean
August 7
3:55 pm
That’s a tough call. I would have to know more details about what exactly happened. I’d like to say that given enough references that I would give him a chance if it really seemed that the crime was a one time mistake, but I’m honestly not sure I’d be able to trust him in a real life situation. It would depend on how much responsibility and access to company funds he would have in the assistant position.
Christine Rimmer
August 7
4:32 pm
I don’t know why I can’t resist DFs. I just can’t. Somebody help me!!
Seriously, pretty much what most said. I would have to know more from a trusted source about the assault conviction. And then I would see. People with impulse control problems are really dangerous. But if we kick all ex-cons to the curb, well, what chance to do they have to get an honest job?
Maili
August 7
5:15 pm
Yes, I’d hire him. Either as a part-timer for three months or full time on one-month trial to allow us to get know to each other as well making time for him to settle in. If it works out and he does his job well, will hire him on a permanent basis. If he screws up, then that’s the way it goes.
My late grandfather had a history of hiring people with police/prison records or were on probation. It was 80% success and the rest was, “Ach, that’s the way it goes with the bad seeds.”
He reasoned that if we rejected or denied their chances to become responsible citizens of our society, they may return to the life of crime, which will make us irresponsible hypocrites.
Anya Howard
August 7
5:44 pm
What Fae Sutherland said. I like the idea of giving people second chances, but you have to be careful.
KristieJ
August 7
6:48 pm
I can’t say either without knowing more about him. Fae mentioned parole officer – that’s who I would be checking.
Of course – if this were a ROMANCE – he would have been falsely imprisoned; he’d be hawt – and single (although maybe his wife might have left him over the scandal) and she would be single and strong to have built her own business but she needs someone to build shelves and help with the heavy work and deliveries of the flower store/antique shop/small independent book store. There was a guy in her life, but he dumped her because she wouldn’t put out. And she would have hired said parolee against the advice of her best friend who has a hate on for all guys because her ex cheated on her with a stripper.
But in reality, said hero was charged because he was trying to help his younger brother who was in a vicious gang but trying to get out and go the straight and narrow. But on his death bed, said brother confessed to being the one who really did the armed robbery. Of course said hero wants vengence because of the death of his brother, but said heroine convinces him that he would be throwing away this second chance at a life – and they live happily ever after.
MB (Leah)
August 7
7:40 pm
@KristieJ- Buwahaha! That cracks me up. So true!
About the post, I’d have to vibe him out and see what I pick up. I’d also ask very specifically why he did what he did.
At the same time, I probably wouldn’t let him have free reign to things or be with him alone until he proved himself. But I would probably give him a chance if he vibed out OK.
Amarinda Jones
August 7
7:49 pm
I would have to sus him out and rely on my gut instinct -but yeah, I would give him a chance as I have stuffed a lot of things up in my life so I’m not exactly a role model. People deserve a second chance…but not a third.
Throwmearope
August 8
1:10 am
Um, I’ve hired worse in my day. Not kidding, unfortunately.
Seriously, I believe that in the US, if you served your time, you’ve paid your debt to society and you deserve a new chance. This belief has gotten me burned more than once in the past.
Lorraine
August 8
1:20 am
Nope, not a chance would I hire him. I consider myself to be liberal in every area, except violent crime. When it comes to my personal safety or that of my co-workers, I’m not taking any chances. As the mother of minor children, it’s just not worth the risk for me to do it.
Las
August 8
2:46 am
Maili, I love that story about your grandfather.
About the assault charge, I would have to know the exact details before getting concerned about a “violent” criminal. Prosecutors love to pile on the charges, and a simple shove as you’re running away is is enough to be charged with assault.
AztecLady
August 8
2:55 am
It would depend on many factors, as mentioned before: the nature of the position and that of the company; his references from before prison, during his sentence and from his parole officer, etc.
One main thing, though, would be his account of the matter. Anyone shifting responsibility to someone else for his own choices would raise a huge red flag for me.
Miki S
August 8
3:07 am
Highly unlikely I’d hire him – not for a job working so closely with me (and my business interests).
SarahT
August 9
8:57 am
No, I wouldn’t hire him. If it was *just* burglary, I might consider giving him a chance. But assault? No way. I would be scared he’d turn violent towards me or my other employees. If this did happen, I’d have no one but myself to blame as I knew his history when hiring him.