Day 14

Last Mon night, I surprised myself by holding a 1.5 hr phone conversation with a friend. The only other times I've done it b4 were with xx. Anyway, this friend of mine is looking for a job. He's been rejected a few times because of his criminal record and is feeling rather despondent. He shared that he was passed up by employers even though they told him "he was the most qualified candidate for the job". I feel rather sad for him cos he's so young. Just because of one past mistake, ppl won't give him a chance.

This got me thinking. Could our govt erase an ex-offender's record like in some other Western countries? Like paroles, if we can accept it and save some super-villianous guy from the gallows, surely we can give ex-offenders of petty crimes another chance. I'm not saying erase all the prisons records. But maybe like one or 2 in a span of 5 years? They did it in ancient China too (according to the many Ch8 tv dramas i've watched), the Emperor decides to pardon all his prisoners during his birthday anniversary, for karma reasons. Since the Yellow Ribbon Project hasn't seemed to have much success in changing society's or rather employers' mindset towards ex-offenders, maybe we shld reexamine the system.

Some ex-offenders are truely rependent and just want to get on with life. They try very hard. Their families and friends are willing to accept them. But to strangers, ppl who do not hv the chance to know them better it is different. When they go for job interviews and face the question of "Do you hv a past criminal record?", it bothers them. They can lie, but if they choose otherwise and put a check in the "Yes" box, the employers penalize them for their honesty!

The intention behind the YRP is to help ex-offenders integrate back into society but if they face this sort of rejection again and again, depression sets in and we may drive them back to their 'old ways'. My friend for example was using words like "bum" and "useless" to describe himself.

Of course, we must be extremely selective in screening the cases. We can't just pardon everyone on a whim. The ex-offenders must prove that they deserve the chance for their "tainted record" to be "bleached white again". Sure, there'll be detractors, e.g from the victims' families and from cynics, who believe that erasing the ex-offender's record is equivalent to "allowing a wolf to walk around in sheep's clothing". People will say that the prison records act as a safeguard for those who did not commit any injurious actions that forfeit their rights in society, against those who did. We need to differentiate 'them' from 'us'.

This sort of opinion is not totally wrong. I read once in Readers Digest abt these 2 youngsters who killed another 2-yr old when they were just ten. [Case] They were given new identities 10 years later, after serving their sentence. People were horrified, especially for the many who cannot forget the brutal killing of the toddler. For the 2 boys, now youngsters, no one knows they were the ones responsible. Their girlfriends do not know they're dating ex-murderers!

Maybe to ease the quandary, I'd suggest that the ex-offender can hv his record erased from the public, but must still periodically report to probation officers? I don't know...

It does not cost the authorities much to erase a record, but it can truely make things a lot easier for that someone who is trying to make a fresh start in life. I think this 'act of pardon' is sth our govt shld consider.

But for now, I can only say to my friend, "Don't give up, there's a silver lining in every cloud!"

FYI, my friend is "no bum", in fact, he's quite a role model among his peers. He denies this saying he's no role model. But I'd say! the definition of "role model" is not all-encompassing. Everyone has their shortcomings, but they also hv some good qualities that others don't possess and can learn from. Many ppl are role models but in different ways =)

"You'll get by somehow, everyone does."