Have you thought about collaborating with CEO works? https://ceoworks.org/
We are currently doing just that, in NY and CA. Their NY director of Workforce Development is on our Advisory Board.
Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
131–140 of 541 posts
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
The best way to dissuade people from criminal behaviors (in my opinion) is to make the impetus for the behaviors less attractive.
The best way to stop people doing bad things they want to do is the fear of certain and severe punishment. "Getting involved" is not something that you do by "mistake", you have to want to do it first. The only "mistake" is believing you won't get caught, presumable because so few do.
Your first statement there belies the fact that you know nothing about psychology. I'd suggest going to your local library and reading up on reward and punishment as it relates to behavioral design in a society.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is the absolute wrong takeaway here. It's about being overly harshly punished for mistakes in their youths. I've heard very similar stories from public defenders that have nothing to do with drugs, but with common punishment escalations that are hard to avoid when you're poor, and people surely can't avoid being poor. Minor fine goes unpaid because this month the electric bill is more important. Leads to more fi…
"Leads to license suspencion. Leads to driving while license suspended." Or, like, don't drive without a license.
Meh, you gotta do what you gotta do. You think for one second that if I had my license revoked that I wouldn't drive to get to work to support my family? You're a statist if you think driver's licenses prove you are a good driver--they're bullshit, just like all those little tags and stickers are bullshit. And a man can only eat so much bullshit.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Leads to license suspencion. Leads to driving while license suspended." Or, like, don't drive without a license.
leads to job loss. you want them to work, right?
However did anybody work before the invention of the internal combustion engine? rolls eyes
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is the absolute wrong takeaway here. It's about being overly harshly punished for mistakes in their youths. I've heard very similar stories from public defenders that have nothing to do with drugs, but with common punishment escalations that are hard to avoid when you're poor, and people surely can't avoid being poor. Minor fine goes unpaid because this month the electric bill is more important. Leads to more fi…
"Leads to license suspencion. Leads to driving while license suspended." Or, like, don't drive without a license.
pfft... reduce your statement to "or like just follow the rules stupid" you really missed the point... fundamentally why do you think people do something like stealing food? because they don't know stealing is wrong? or because they are fucking hungry and are poor?
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#136Isn't yet another case that startup is trying to fix systematic screwup of law in the USA? In USA once you got criminal record, by default it stays for rest of life with you. Implications of that may be even more severe than actual punishment. On the other hand in most of the European countries criminal records are limited and after X years they disappear and you can't legally discriminate based on that. Some ppl wil…
>Isn't yet another case that startup is trying to fix systematic screwup of law in the USA? Two thoughts: 1) "systematic screwup of law in the USA" is a pretty good description; another might be "massive market opportunity" 2) "startup trying to [take advantage of market inefficiencies created by] systematic screwup of law in the USA" is also a pretty good description of drug traffickers of all kinds. (I'm not passin…
On #2, you could say the same thing about all black markets.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#137Hi Richard, great idea. I'm a UX designer and want to throw out some suggestions on how to improve the experience of the site. First, use more cheerful/positive messages/visuals. It was a joykill when I checked out your website and there's a sad guy placing his hand on the forehead. Show what's possible. How successful people can be once they get a job.. rather than their current state (unemployment). Don't focus on…
You are so right on all your comments. Soon we'll be re-doing the entire site. Perhaps we can talk in several weeks?
I'd add that framing the hiring decision as charity ("giving someone a second chance") could be improved. I'd go for more of a "diamond in the rough" angle.
"Find talent everyone else is missing."
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#138The good thing about people with a criminal record: you know what they did! You will never know this of the people around you who got away not being caught. Do I know if my neighbour did not rob a bank 10 years ago? No. So working with ex-criminals can be an encounter with honesty.
Or they only got busted for a joyride but not the 12 B&Es and embezzlement. False signals.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#139I'm super-excited to see this. I really hope it works out. Thanks for doing it.
Honestly I find how this country treats those with a felony record absolutely disgusting. The "Are you a convicted felon?" is a scarlet letter that never seems to disappear. While this might've originally been well-intentioned, IMHO it perpetuates criminality as I suspect what other choices do a lot of former felons have?
There was (is?) a campaign in Massachussetts to retroactively pardon a felony conviction for Mark Wahlberg. Apparently this makes it difficult to, say, get liquor licenses and so forth.
Personally I"m 100% against a commutation for the rich and famous. What we should be doing is freeing people from this stigma, particularly when the crime was a long time ago, especially nonviolent and likely not relevant to your job.
FYI Mark Wahlberg's felony conviction was violent and pretty egregious actually as it was IIRC a racially-motivated attack on a Vietnamese man.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#140> 1 in 3 adults—with criminal records I must admit I haven't ever thought about these numbers but it strikes me as insanely high. How can this be explained? Is it a feature of just America or is it reproducible in other countries as well?
This is from 2002, but it makes the point: "... that almost a third of men [in Britain] have a criminal conviction by the age of 30, according to the Home Office. Research on men born in 1953 showed that about 30 per cent had clocked up a standard list offence - one that is dealt with by the courts but excludes minor motoring offences - by their thirtieth birthday. Research in Scotland points in the same direction, s…
Wow, and that was for people born in 1953(!!).
The net cast by law enforcement has not gotten smaller since then.