Coming home from prison can sound simple: Find a job and start over. But it’s not always that easy. A criminal record can follow someone into a job interview, making it harder to find work and rebuild their life.
Community Voices producer Courtney Alspaugh spoke with De’Ona Smith, who knows those challenges firsthand. Smith shares what it meant when someone looked beyond her record and gave her a chance.
This transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Courtney Alspaugh: When you came home from prison, what was your experience like trying to find a job?
De’Ona Smith: Traumatic, very traumatic. I almost felt like there was no hope. In prison, they tell you about all these programs that offer job placement, and it just wasn't as true. I also went through reentry, so that helped a little. But at the same time, I was being turned down for interviews because of my record.
I was a little ashamed knowing that I had to put down that I'm a felon. I knew there was a possibility I could go through the whole application process, possibly get an interview, and still be turned down because of my record.
Alspaugh: I actually had the same kind of experience because I had a job interview and got thejob. And then when they found out what my crime was for, and they knew the person.
And so they turned around and were like, no, we can't do that because it's such a small town. Basically,they were like, we don't want to be involved in it. And it was a plumbing job because I did plumbingin prison. I am certified in plumbing now. It's a hard situation.
Smith: Once I got the job I have now, they knew what was going on. They didn't treat me any differently. They ended up promoting me to lead, which was a key holder. Then I was promoted to assistant manager within a 60-day timeframe.
Alspaugh: What do you do now?
Smith: I'm a manager for Skechers.
Alspaugh: Once you got the job, what challenges did you face?
Smith: I don't know if I faced a challenge personally. I think it was personally within me. I felt like I had to work harder. I felt I had to prove I'm worthy of this, because, as I said, I was so ashamed of my record. I told myself I wasn't gonna let it affect me, but it did.
You know, it was one thing feeling like when I get home, I don't care what nobody thinks. But actually, when I literally came home, like, you know what I mean? I haven't worked in over five, six years because I was on house arrest at the time I was fighting my case.
It feels good when somebody takes a chance on you and believes in you. Somebody who didn't even know you and wasn't judgmental.
Alspaugh: What do you wish employers understood about people who are coming home from prison?
Smith: That not everybody are their mistake. Like, you know, everybody's not in prison just sitting around doing nothing. People are working hard in there. They're getting degrees, certifications. They're in tune with their spirituality. They're really, you know, people that want to come home and make a difference. For employers, I feel like the biggest part is that we're not our mistakes. People grow, people change daily.
Support for ReEntry Stories comes from Sinclair Community College and LION. The series is produced at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.
