The 5 Major Challenges That Sex Offenders Face When Looking For Work
If you’re looking for work, and you’re a sex offender, then things aren’t easy. And, with that in mind, the five points outlined below are some of the most notable challenges sex offenders face when looking for work.
Challenge 01: Very Few Places Hire Sex Offenders
Very few places hire sex offenders for one major reason: many places refuse to hire those with a criminal record, especially if it contains felonies or, alternatively, crimes that many people consider deeply immoral.
The latter is true, even if the sexual offense an individual was convicted for was innocuous or, even, unrelated to a sexual act; public defecation, for example.
Challenge 02: Employers – And Fellow Employees – Can Be Abusive
A number of employers, and the employees that work under them, are abusive to those sex offenders, ex-convicts, and others whom they consider “lesser.”
Sometimes, this abuse takes the form of rude comments or unkind words. Other times, when the work is physical or demanding, it can escalate to negligence – or, even, acts of violence – that varies in its severity.
Challenge 03: Sex Offenders Can’t Work Near Children
Many sex offenders cannot work near children.
Smetimes, this is fine; if a sex offender works construction, for example, then they are unlikely to be working near children, anyway.
Other times, though, this is problematic; a sex offender may live in an area with a lot of schools and other, child-related, organizations, making it hard to find places of employment that are away from children.
Challenge 04: People Are Prejudiced
The fourth challenge is quite similar to the second. But, with one major caveat: many people are prejudiced, in their own ways, and some of those who are prejudiced are in positions of power, when it comes to hiring.
If a sex offender wishes to get a job, but they are confronted by a hiring manager who judges them and refuses to even entertain their application, due to their prior conviction, then they cannot get hired.
The same is true in other facets of the employment world; temp managers, for example, who may not want to help a sex offender obtain temporary work, or even employers who wish to underpay them due to their past offense.
Challenge 05: Sex Offenders Rarely Get A Chance
Every single one of the challenges outlined above culminates in this fifth, and final, challenge: sex offenders rarely get a chance.
Many employers do not let those with criminal records apply to the roles that they offer. And, those that do, often judge a sex offender and refuse to entertain the notion of hiring them, even if they meet the job requirements.
The same basic notion applies to numerous facets of life that many others take for granted; finding safe, secure, and clean housing; obtaining a mortgage; getting a car loan; and so on and so forth.