The document summarizes San Francisco's Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO) and the federal Ban the Box initiative, which aim to improve employment opportunities for ex-convicts. It discusses how lack of employment is a key driver of recidivism. The FCO prevents employers from inquiring about criminal history on job applications, giving ex-convicts a fair chance. An estimated 176 older ex-convicts in San Francisco could benefit initially from these policies. Early results suggest the FCO has been effective at reducing recidivism rates compared to before its passage.

1. CAREER
OPTIONSSan Francisco’s No.1 Guide
Winter / Spring 2015
CO
A NEW
BREATH
OF LIFE
FOR EX-
CONVICTS
NEW FEDERAL AND
CITY ORDINANCES
YOU CAN’T
IGNORE
1
5
7
WHY GOVERNMENT IS
ON YOUR SIDE
GOSPEL FOR CURRENT
AND FUTURE SENIORS
EVALUATING THE NEW
SOCIAL POLICY

2. morepeoplehavejobs,thecountryismore
prosperousandthepeoplearemoresatisfied.Sadly,
manyAmericansmistrusttheWhiteHouseor,
otherwise,omitvitalnewsduetotheamountof
informationeverydaybombardedontopeople.This
articlewillservemorethanjustareminderoftheSan
FranciscoFairChanceOrdinance(FCO)thattook
effectlastyear,August13,2014,orthemorerecent,effectlastyear,August13,2014,orthemorerecent,
Ban-the-BoxexecutiveorderthatPresidentObama
issuedonNovember2,2015;thesesocialpoliciesare
astepforwardforthecriminaljusticereforminthe
UnitedStates,allowingmanymoreableAmericans
tonotonlygetajob,butalsorestoretheiridentity
andfamily.
OnJuly16,2015PresidentObamabecamethefirst
sittingpresidenttovisitaFederalprison.Criminal
JusticeReformisonthetopofhisagendainthelast
stretchofhisterm.Recentlyhehasalsocalledfora
Ban-the-Boxexecutiveordertoimproveemploy-
mentforex-convicts.
November2015/CO 1
mprovingemploymentfigureshaslongbeenthe
centerstageoftalkbypoliticians,becausewhenI
OnMarch4,2014,SanFrancisco
Mayor,EdwinLeesignsintolaw,
theFairChanceOridance.Tohis
rightisDoseyNunn,founderofAll
ofUsOrNone,agroupthatidenti-
fiedtheneedtoBan-the-Box
HelpingEx-ConvcitsGeta
FootInTheDoor
SanFrancisco’sFairChanceOrdinanaceandthe
Ban-the-BoxmovementBySTEPHENCHIEN |November16,2015

3. attheendofthe5thyear.In
California,the3-yearrecidivism
rateis67%,whichissimilarto
thenationalaverage.However,
whencomparedtoother
Californiancities,SanFrancisco
actuallyhasthehighest
recidivismrate,78%.recidivismrate,78%.
Rejectedbyemployers,
ex-convictsareunabletofind
jobsdespitethevocational
trainingreceived,becoming
homeless,andforcedtocommit
anothernewcrimeforfood.
Anex-convictsapprehendedfor
bytheSanFranciscopolice
officerforstealinganiPhone.
hejustserved;mostex-convicts
arenotsolucky.Accordingtothe
BureauofJusticeStatisticsdata
in2005thattracked405,000in-
matesfrom30States,28%of
prisonersreleasedwillgetarrest-
edinthefirst6months;theper
centagewillriseto43%atthe
endofthe1styear,68%within3
stronglyassociatedwithcrime
andemployment.Considerthe
storyofapersistentcivilrights
group,calledAllofUsorNone,
foundedinSanFranciscoby
DorseyNunn,whonow65years
old,isanAfricanAmericanwho
spent11yearsinprisonforfelonyspent11yearsinprisonforfelony
conviction.Whenreleasedfrom
SanQuentinStatePrison,the
primaryjailclosesttoSan
Francisco,hetooktheeffortof
completinghiscollegeeducation,
butstillcouldn’tfindajob.Itwas
onlybecausethehelpofhisonlybecausethehelpofhis
attorneyandpittancethatallowed
Mr.Nunntogetaclericalposition
inalawoffice,whichwasonlya
fewyardsawayfromtheprison
herateofreentryintoprison
forex-convicts,recidivismisT
November2015/CO 2
Redemptionvs.Rejection
Therelationshipbetweenrecidivismandemployment

4. againstaperson.Whilethe
societyneedstomore
embracethenewfaceof
ex-convicts,thejob
applicationprocesscanalso
facilitatethesituation
considerably.
forpurchasingfood.InSan
Francisco,oftheex-convicts
thatreturntoprison,77%steal
cars,8%stealother’sproperty,
6%involvewithdrugs,and3%
committedcrimes
Ex-convictsarenotatfault
forre-committingcrimes.
Theisolationwithsociety
andrejectionduringthe
initialjobapplicationprocess
createsserious
discouragementandoften
leadstounemployment,leadstounemployment,
stress,frustration,
alcoholism,anddruguse.
Theseindividualsareforced
tocommitcrimesotherwise
therewillbenosourceof
incomeforpurchasingfood.
InSanFrancisco,oftheInSanFrancisco,ofthe
ex-convictsthatreturnto
prison,77%stealcars,8%
stealother’sproperty,6%
involvewithdrugs,and3%
committedcrimesagainsta
3%,Commitcrimesagainstsomeone
November2015/CO 3
6%,Others
6%,Druguse
8%,Stealproperties
77%,Stealingvehicles

5. ourcountry,SanFranciscois
followingtheBan-the-Box
movementbypassingtheFCO.
Thisordinancepreventslocal
employerstohaveatickboxon
thejobapplicationthatinquires
aboutcriminalhistory.Inthepast,
manyex-convictswhoseekmanyex-convictswhoseek
redemptionhavelistenedtothe
sheriffbyremainingsober,
resumingcollege,andreceiving
careertrainingfromvarious
programs,thinkingthatthese
improvementswouldboosttheir
chancesinthejobapplicationchancesinthejobapplication
process.Sadly,mostofthese
individualdidn’tevengeta
chancetointerview,because
eemployersimmediatelyrejected
thecandidatesbaseduponthat
tickbox.Ex-convictshadneither
afairgroundforcomparing
eligibilitywithotherapplicants
norachancetoexplainhow
criminalrecordsmaybe
deceiving.deceiving.
ikethe100citiesworldwide
andthoseinthe18StatesofL
November2015/CO 4
OnApril20,2015,inmatesat
theSanQuentinStatePrison,
NorthofSanFrancisco,at-
tendingagraduationceremony
forthecomputercodingclass.
What’stheFairChance
Ordinanceabout?
Beforereleasedfromtheprison,in-
matesattendtheSantaClaraReen-
tryServicetoreducerecidivismby
learninglifeskills,assistance,and
peermonitoring.
Evenschoolsareafraidof
acceptingex-convictsas
students,butsomeex-convicts
stillpersistingettingacollege
degreetoboosttheirchances
foremployment..

6. Whatliesahead?
Theimmediatebenefiticiariesforthe
municapalpolicyaretheolder
ex-convicts.
somesortofcriminalrecord;thisfigurerepresents
almost1/5ofU.Scitizens,and1/3oftheworking
population,manyofwhicharestrong,ableand
talented.
UnlikeaverageSanFranciscanswhom52%have
bachelordegreesandwhom20%havegraduate
degrees,ex-convictsaren’tveryeducated.Forthe
nationallevelofmaleconvictsin2008,36.6%have
lessthanahighschooleducation,52%havehigh
schooldegree,andonly11.4%wenttocollege.In
addition,ex-convictsaremorelikelytocomefrom
lowersocioeconomicstatus,andthusgainlesslowersocioeconomicstatus,andthusgainless
financialorfamilialsupportwhenreturningbacktothe
city,whichhasthehighestmedianaskingrentinUS.
Unlikeyoungerjobapplicants,olderoneswillalso
faceageism.Asaresult,formenofage25-55,the
employmentrateisconsistentlyover80%,butover
age55,thefiguredeclinesfrom73%to10%.For
womenofage20-55,theemploymentrateis70%,but
overage55,thefiguredropsfrom60%to5.6%.These
percentagesarelikelytofurtherlower,becauseofthe
employer’snegativestereotypethatregardemployer’snegativestereotypethatregard
ex-convictsasborn troublemakers.
Despitetheseenormousdisadvantages,the
ex-convictsagedabove50willurgentlyneedajobto
qualifyforsocialsecurity,Medicare,andMedicaidto
prepareforhealthcarecoststhatareforeseeableinthe
nexttwodecades.SanFrancisco’sFCOandthe
Ban-the-Boxexecutiveorderwillprovideafairground
intheapplicationprocesssuchthatemployersof
companiesthathavemore20employeescan’tcompaniesthathavemore20employeescan’t
discriminateacandidatebasedoncriminalbackground
beforeprovidinganinterview.Whenolderex-convicts
managetofindajob,theywilleventuallynotonly
havehealthcare,butalsoexperienceincreased
self-esteem,familialrelationship,andfinancial
security.AsaresultoftheFCOandincreased
employmentfromconvictswhowouldotherwiseemploymentfromconvictswhowouldotherwise
commitcrimes,oldercitizensingeneralwouldalso
enjoyasaferneighborhood,whichinvolvesless
robbery,theft,homeless,drug,alcoholabuse,andother
crimes.
ccordingtoarecentspeechbyPresidentObama
onNovember3,2015,70millionAmericanshaveA
November2015/CO 5

7. Recentlyreleasedfromprison,theman
reuniteswithhisfamilyandhugginghis
wifeanddaugteraftersuchalongwait.
Whilehisplanstorebuildhishomeawaits,
thegovernment’scriminaljusticereforms
arecurrentlydebatingonfacilitatingpeople
withcriminalbackgroundstogainaccessto
thehousingtheyoncewererestrictedfrom.thehousingtheyoncewererestrictedfrom.
Thenumberofimmediate
beneficiariesfromtheSFOis
asummationoftheolder
ex-convictsovertheage50
thathavefinishedtheirterms,
paroledfromlifesentence,
andreleasedduetoandreleaseddueto
California’sProposition47.
Finishedterm
InCalifornia,therewere134,160inmatesinJune
2013;outofthe22counties,SanFrancisco
accountsfor0.8%ofthenumberofinmates.4.5%
oftotalinmatesarefemalesand18.5%offemales
areoverage50.Incontrast,95.5%oftotalinmatesareoverage50.Incontrast,95.5%oftotalinmates
aremalesand20.6%ofmalesareovertheage50.
GiventhattheBureauofJusticeStatisticsstates
thatnationalwide97%ofoffenderswillreturnto
theirhometown,thattheCaliforniaDepartmentof
CorrectionsandRehabilitationreportsthat80%are
notsentencedasaliferordeathrow,andthatthe
ratioforethnicitiesisdifferentforeachgender,7ratioforethnicitiesisdifferentforeachgender,7
female(2Blacks,2Hispanic,2White,1Other;
27.8%,33%,33.4%,5.9%)and164males
(48Blacks,68Hispanics,37Whites,and10Others;29.5%,
41.7%,22.5%,6.4%)agedover50willreturntoSanFrancisco
tofindajob.
November2015/CO 6
Anovercrowdedprison
inCalifornia.Through
Proposition47andthe
releaseof4500
ex-convicts,
StanfordstudysaystheStanfordstudysaysthe
programactually
successfullylessened
9000inmates.
Paroledfromlifesentence
IncooperationwiththejusticereformundertheObama
administration,GovernorBrowngranted1963life
sentencedinmatesinCaliforniaparolesince2011.Based
onestimates,only3males(1Black,1Hispanic,and1
White)overage50willreturntoSanFrancisco.
Proposition47
Inefforttoalleviatethejailcrowding,on
November4,2014,Proposition47was
passedtoreduce6non-serious
crimesfromfelonytmisdemeanor.
BySeptember30,2015,4454
inmateshavebeenreleased.
Lesstherecidivismrate
of3.5%,itisexpected
thatofthemalesthatwill
returntoSanFrancisco,
thereare2Blacks,3
Hispanics,and1White.

8. hilethisprogramhasjustbeenreleasedbarely
foroneyear,somestudieshavealreadybeen
studied.SanFrancisco’sOfficeofLaborStandards
Enforcement(OLSE)enforcestheFCOtobe
effective.GiventhattheSanFranciscoFCOwas
initiated3monthsaheadofProposition47,andthat
therecidivismforthisgrouphasbeenonly3.5%,
whichis74%lowerthanthecityaveragebefore,thiswhichis74%lowerthanthecityaveragebefore,this
successindirectlywarrantstheeffectivenessofthe
FCOinthejobapplicationprocessandinintegrating
ex-convictsintothesociety.Owingtotherecently
passedBan-the-Boxexecutiveorder,ex-convictsnow
gainthenewoptionofapplyingforjobsinfederal
institutesacrossthenation.
However,whilemanySanFranciscanex-convicts
arelikelytoreceiveafairerjobapplicationprocess
thatisbackedbythecityandFederalgovernment,
therearewaystosomewhatbypassingthisrule.
Insteadofscreeningapplicantsbaseduponthe
criminalbackgroundcheckbox,recruitersmightlook
forgapsineducationasanindicatorfordurationspent
inprison.However,thisapproachmayalsoaffectinprison.However,thisapproachmayalsoaffect
normalapplicantswhohavenocriminalbackground,
buthavebeenunemployedforawhile.
Thereare14CaliforniaRe-entryProgram,manyofwhich
arelocatedinSanFranciscosuchastheSantaClara
Reentry,VolunteerofAmerica’sBayAreaReentry,The
HomeboyHotline,MenofValorAcademy,and
DelanceyStreetFoundation.Iffindinganaffordable
housingortemporaryshelterisdifficultinthecity,
considerthe42unitDrakeHotel,whichis
managedbytheTenderloinmanagedbytheTenderloin
HousingClinic,partofa
programheadbytheSan
FranciscoSuperiorCourt
andtheAdultProbation
Department,andservesonly
ex-convicts.
Supportprovidedforex-convicts
IstheFCOthe
realdeal?
Theeffectivenessandenforcementof
thenewordinance
W
November2015/CO 7

9. November2015/CO 8
References

10. November2015/CO 9

11. November2015/CO 10
Specialthanksto:
Dr.CarolineCicero