Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta told local government leaders Monday that they needed to find ways to help felons find jobs once they leave prison, saying that doing so is good for both the economy and rehabilitation.
“The best thing that you can do for the economy is help those individuals become part of an economy rather than recidivate,” Acosta said in a speech to the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C. “The best thing you can do for your community and the safety of your community is give those individuals a job and a stake in the community.”
Acosta noted that many states and localities have job licensing requirements that prohibit people with felony convictions from taking on certain jobs, and argued that in most cases there is no public safety need for such prohibitions.
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He related a story about visiting a prison that included a culinary school for the inmates. The state, which he declined to name, however prohibited felons from becoming licensed chefs. “When you go back home think hard and ask yourself, ‘Does every license that excludes a felon really need to exclude that felon?'” he said.
Acosta said the administration had given $85 million in grants to nonprofit groups that help convicts re-entry society and was planning on hosting a summit for those groups later in the month.
