Pubdate: Mon, 01 Jul 2002 Source: Commercial Appeal (TN) Copyright: 2002 The Commercial Appeal Contact: http://www.gomemphis.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/95 Author: Letita Monique Aaron EX-FELONS GET ON RIGHT TRACK IN LIFE WITH SECOND CHANCE Thomas Davidson's graduation day was not like many others. Yes, there were caps and gowns, proud family and friends as well as diplomas. But on May 13, the audience gathered at the Mid-South Coliseum wasn't there to honor bright-eyed students eager to explore the world. They were there to honor ex-felons. Davidson and 26 men and women graduated from the city's Second Chance program. The initiative, designed to give one-time felony offenders the opportunity to reintroduce themselves into society, is the idea of Mayor Willie Herenton and is run under the umbrella of Yo! Memphis, the city's youth workforce development program. In order to graduate from Second Chance, participants must keep a job for six months to a year, maintain a good work record and remain drug free. Davidson has been a Memphis Area Transit Authority customer service specialist for a year. In order to succeed in the program, he said, people must be determined. "You have to be a serious individual," he said. "You have to want to be on the right track." After his release from prison, Davidson was a telemarketer for MCI, then the front office manager at a local Comfort Inn and Suites. More than anything, he said his previous work experience helped him find employment despite his status as a felon. "I was a little more fortunate than others," he said. Neither he nor Second Chance officials would disclose Davidson's crime. However, Second Chance officials said it was not an offense involving violence. When Second Chance opened its doors in January 2001, more than 2,075 ex-convicts living in Memphis and Shelby County applied for the program. According to Yo! Memphis executive director Dr. Marie Milam, everyone who applies is invited to participate in the program, but not everyone completes each "intensive" step of the process. Employers "have a say to determine which offenses they may not feel comfortable with," said director of human resources Yalanda McFadgon. First, participants must fill out a five-page application that profiles their work history and willingness to change. It also helps the Second Chance staff analyze each participant's strengths and weaknesses. Each must be interviewed by a three-person panel at City Hall and pass a drug screening before receiving a job placement. Afterward, the participants are trained for employment. If a participant misses any part of the program, he or she will not be allowed to return. Milam said about 40 percent of the participants enrolled in the program drop out before they're interviewed by the panel because they "find out what the requirements are and they just aren't ready." As far as she knows, she added, no graduate has been re-arrested. McFadgon said the toughest requirement for participants is coming to grips with the serious atmosphere of Second Chance. "We are serious," she said. "If you don't show up for an appointment, you will be asked to leave. If you are using drugs, you will get screened. Second Chance is about business." Another 15 percent drop out after they've been trained for a job. "Sometimes they may not have a support system in place," said Milam. "They may not have the transportation, they may not have the day care they need, or they may have a fear that this is too good to be true and that they are going to fail. It takes a lot of work to convince them that this is real and their dream has come true." Of those who have completed the program, 165 have gotten jobs ranging from unskilled labor to management through Second Chance. Most jobs are provided by more than 28 "business partners" such as MATA, the city's Board of Education and Swift Transportation Co. Second Chance, much like Yo! Memphis, is funded by donations from corporations, the City of Memphis and federal grants such as the Workforce Investment Act fund. McFadgon, a former police sergeant and later the supervisor for Herenton's bodyguard detail, served five months in prison for concealing $70,000 in drug dealing proceeds and conspiring to interfere with a federal investigation. Herenton was criticized for hiring McFadgon to run the program. Defending herself and the mayor, McFadgon said the public's focus should be on the people who want the opportunity to be like everyone else. "Second Chance is not about Yalanda McFadgon," she said. "There are no perfect people, and it's easy for others to be judgmental." She also said she knows first hand how apprehensive people can be about ex-convicts returning to the workforce. "These people have said they've made a mistake and they want a chance to make it right," she said. "If we don't give people a means to survival, they will create one, and most likely it will be something illegal." According to the Tennesee Department of Correction's April 2002 Felon Population Update, of the 13,385 felons jailed during the 2000-01 fiscal year, 4,890 of them were back in prison for parole violations or committing new crimes. Milam said the program is about finding ex-felons jobs that pay more than "the minimum livable wage," which is about $7 an hour. The average earned wage for program participants ranges from $9 to $12 as most are employed with trucking companies. "Having an ex-felony designation places people in the position to have a hard time finding a job," she said. "When they do, they're only making $5 an hour, and people can't live like that. Second Chance was designed because people deserve jobs." - --- MAP posted-by: Ariel