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Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

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Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#341

Post by throwup238 »

phpisthebest wrote: post #334
throwup238 wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, I just wouldn’t trust a felon to make an unbiased determination about the morality of their actions. The only item on your list that I would say is mostly gray area is insider trading - the rest are very much case dependent. A weed dealer might be gray area but someone who peddles crack cocaine is not. Most people like to think they are good, even when presented with hard evidence that they’re not.

Why is a weed dealer a gray area but cocaine not a gray area both are things people are consuming voluntarily into their own body why is one prohibited from consuming cocaine of their own volition but not marijuana I'm of the position it all drugs even medical drugs should be free to consume by anybody I should be able to walk in to CVS and get heart medication if I want or cocaine if I want if CVS is willing to sell…

I didn’t just say cocaine, I said crack cocaine. Crack is cooked by the dealers to be a cheaper and more addictive form of cocaine. I saw first hand what it did to LA in the back half of the last century, so yeah “your body your choice” or whatever you want to tell yourself, but the people dealing it knew what they were doing and it was blatantly immoral. There was no “gray area” about it. They invented a more profitable formula and destroyed their communities to make a little more cash.

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#342

Post by watwut »

RickJWagner wrote: post #216
sneak wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think crimes of violence are relevant to any/all roles. I don’t want to hire or work with anyone who has ever at any point in their life used violence to attempt to solve problems. I am fine with a percentage of human beings being blacklisted permanently from access to much of society. Violence has no place in our world. I won’t even hire former cops. It is, unfortunately, illegal in the US to explicitly avoid hiri…

That's crazy. Cops prevent violence. Remember when a few cities tried having 'police free zones'? I think it was Portland that had murders within a week. Better re-think that one.

Cop are violent on average tho. For example, they have much higher domestic violence rates then general population.

It is party result of them being above the law. And partly result of training that does not teach the de-escalation at all, but focuses on taking control, being dominant at all cost.

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#343

Post by austin-cheney »

nope00 wrote: post #49

Nov’22 is very recent, and won’t be your experience forever. It’s been a little over 20 years for me. Now, I get background checked every year. It doesn’t show. Initially I worked in food service and on phpfreelancer. I spun that into consistent consulting work until a client offered a full time position (less than 15 people, no background checks). As the years rolled by, I kept moving around. Eventually I tried at a…

I have spent a good portion of my career with security clearances. If there is a background check that involves sending actual humans out to perform interviews then be absolutely up front about everything because they are going to discover it anyways. In this context being upfront saves lots of time whereas the opposite could result in additional investigations you don’t want.

If it’s just some mom and pop shop then I fully agree. Just tell them enough to fully and honestly answer their questions without opening additional causes for concern.

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#344

Post by aghastnj »

phpisthebest wrote: post #334
throwup238 wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, I just wouldn’t trust a felon to make an unbiased determination about the morality of their actions. The only item on your list that I would say is mostly gray area is insider trading - the rest are very much case dependent. A weed dealer might be gray area but someone who peddles crack cocaine is not. Most people like to think they are good, even when presented with hard evidence that they’re not.

Why is a weed dealer a gray area but cocaine not a gray area both are things people are consuming voluntarily into their own body why is one prohibited from consuming cocaine of their own volition but not marijuana I'm of the position it all drugs even medical drugs should be free to consume by anybody I should be able to walk in to CVS and get heart medication if I want or cocaine if I want if CVS is willing to sell…

I agree with you on the "my choice" part. But I also believe that things which remove your choice from the equation are worth extra trouble.

Addictive substances are well established as a hazard not just to the individual, but to society. So I think government has an interest in avoiding/preventing/restricting addiction.

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#345

Post by aghastnj »

hluska wrote: post #169
gwbas1c wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [edit: after reading felonintexas let me update this. If someone point blank asks, tell them. Don’t volunteer this information. There is nothing to be gained] My Fraternity's cook, when I was in college, was a former fellon. He worked for us for a few years before he told me about his background. I don't remember the details, but we had a conversation where he mentioned he had experience in IT. Eventually he very b…

Why did you let the conversation drift around to “if you were making big bucks why are you cooking for us now”? That’s a remarkably rude thing to ask for absolutely no reason other than ego.

In the context of "a house full of frat boys", your use of the term "rude" appears naive at best.

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#346

Post by aghastnj »

HenryBemis wrote: post #320
nope00 wrote: post #49

Nov’22 is very recent, and won’t be your experience forever. It’s been a little over 20 years for me. Now, I get background checked every year. It doesn’t show. Initially I worked in food service and on phpfreelancer. I spun that into consistent consulting work until a client offered a full time position (less than 15 people, no background checks). As the years rolled by, I kept moving around. Eventually I tried at a…

> I do NOT recommend being upfront I re-binged "Last Week Tonight" a month ago. There is an episode on the prison system in the USA and the obstacles people face upon release. I remember one case where the person wrote on his job application as employed by the "State of " while he was in prison. (it must be this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pz3syET3DY ). I haven't been convicted of any crimes, so I don't…

When you say "big banks" you're actually crossing several regulatory domains. But as an example, here's the FINRA page on what they won't allow: https://www.finra.org/rules-guidance/guidance/eligibility-re...

FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) is the public face of the USA's "Securities and Exchange Commission". They write the rulebook on who gets to work in the industry (stockbrokers, investment bankers, and the like).

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#347

Post by CodeSgt »

phpisthebest wrote: post #334
throwup238 wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, I just wouldn’t trust a felon to make an unbiased determination about the morality of their actions. The only item on your list that I would say is mostly gray area is insider trading - the rest are very much case dependent. A weed dealer might be gray area but someone who peddles crack cocaine is not. Most people like to think they are good, even when presented with hard evidence that they’re not.

Why is a weed dealer a gray area but cocaine not a gray area both are things people are consuming voluntarily into their own body why is one prohibited from consuming cocaine of their own volition but not marijuana I'm of the position it all drugs even medical drugs should be free to consume by anybody I should be able to walk in to CVS and get heart medication if I want or cocaine if I want if CVS is willing to sell…

Highly addictive drugs destroy lives and families. The little girl who’s father has a heroin addiction sure didn’t get any say in his choice, but she’s affected by it.

The citizens of communities ravaged by addiction all suffer, whether they individually consume the drug or not.

The idea that drug use is a victimless crime is patently false and all it takes is a few moments of thought to realize it.

No, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with adults smoking a joint after work or on the weekends if that’s what they choose to do, but it quickly devolves from there.

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#349

Post by tacticalturtle »

justsomeoldguy wrote: post #161
eli wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fight with HR? No, they are breaking the law. You should talk to an employment lawyer. You could potentially get a cash settlement, force them to consider your application, or an injunction that would force them to treat future applicants better. Could also file a complaint with the state and they will investigate on your behalf. Good lawyer can advise you of options though.

I tried. they wanted money up front I couldn't afford. The job was a relocation to boston, mass. and they had the check the box laws and all that. It didn't matter. They did it in writing, too. every step of the way. from the job offer, to the acceptance, to the background check after, to notifying me of adverse information being found, they gave me a chance to explain, and I'm like, you said you wouldn't look back f…

At minimum you could sue them in small claims court.

In Massachusetts that would be a nice four figure payday.

Re: Ask HN: Any felons successfully found IT work post-release?

#350

Post by tommychillfiger »

Simon_ORourke wrote: post #317
nope00 wrote: post #49

Nov’22 is very recent, and won’t be your experience forever. It’s been a little over 20 years for me. Now, I get background checked every year. It doesn’t show. Initially I worked in food service and on phpfreelancer. I spun that into consistent consulting work until a client offered a full time position (less than 15 people, no background checks). As the years rolled by, I kept moving around. Eventually I tried at a…

> I do NOT recommend being upfront, unless there are no formal procedures in place and being honest actually helps. We are talking about your ability to feed and shelter yourself, so give up on the “honesty” thing. I have -never- been able to provide for myself after having been “honest”. [edit: after reading felonintexas let me update this. If someone point blank asks, tell them. Don’t volunteer this information. Th…

I'm generally someone who sees honesty as a virtue and have always been fairly open, at work and in my private life. I'm curious if you can expand on this a bit - i.e., why is it a disadvantage and what sort of pitfalls can it lead to? I've been in analytics for a few years now, and it seems like it has mostly been an advantage for me, but it's certainly possible I just don't know what I don't know.
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