Social Issues

Jobs do wonders for ex-offenders

by Michelle Chan

Ex-offenders face difficulties and discrimination in finding a job and reintegrating into the community as prejudice against them among the public is deep-rooted, correctional and social service workers say.

But successful cases show that when ex-offenders have a job, which in turn helps enhance their self-esteem, their reintegration into society will be easier and faster.

Ex-inmates, especially the young, often find it hard to get a job after they are released because they do not have working experience and technical knowledge, said Wong Wai-hung, chief officer of aftercare services at the Correctional Services Department (CSD).

“They are always labelled as the scum of society,” Mr Wong said.

Having a job can assist ex-offenders to face their pasts. “They can avoid committing crime again, make meaningful use of their time and contribute to society,” Mr Wong said.

To help young inmates gain necessary vocational skills, the CSD provides a bridging programme, which gives vocational training such as that in printing and carpentry.
Professionals in the specific fields are invited to teach.

“To assist the inmates, we nurture good work habits and a sense of responsibility in the correctional institutions,” Mr Wong said.

Prisoners are also encouraged to learn a trade they like and are subsidised to sit for public
examinations like the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination.

The Prisoners' Education Trust Fund provides grants to cover fees for external courses and public examinations. There are also scholarships for inmates to further their education in the Open University of Hong Kong whileserving their sentences.

“We also encourage them to study in mainstream schools after their
release although it is comparatively difficult,” Mr Wong said. “Most probably, those who want to study will continue their education in private schools.”

In reality, young ex-offenders may be discriminated, isolated or boycotted in their workplace if their colleagues know about their backgrounds. Mr Wong said once employers and colleagues found out ex-offenders' records, they would have bad impression of the ex-offenders. That can also affect the ex-offenders in keeping their jobs.

Mr Wong said in some cases, ex-offenders might not be promoted as fast as they should have been even though they had potential.

To protect them from being discriminated in the workplace, the CSD has reached an agreement with some employers on not to disclose ex-offenders' imprisonment histories.

Ex-offenders may easily get irritated and suspect that people know about their pasts when they are asked why they have not worked or studied for a few years, Mr Wong said.

Yet, usually only big corporations will ask employees whether they have committed any crimes. Ex-offenders are able to find jobs in small companies.

Sing-jai, 21, who does not want to be identified, said he failed to maintain his food delivery job after he was freed from a correctional centre because he was not punctual to work. He was imprisoned for 77 days in the Pik Uk Correctional Institution for selling drugs in discos.

He then joined a young appointment programme organised by the Youth Care Foundation to learn how to develop a sense of punctuality and how to write application letters. After a month, he was able to find a job in a fast food shop. “I have not been absent or late for even a day,” he said.

He said he got great satisfaction from his work as his working performance was highly appreciated. Yet, his employers did not know about his records.

Ah Bo, who declined to give her full name, has succeeded in reintegrating into the community after she was put in a rehabilitation centre for three months for fighting with others and using other people's identity cards two years ago.

After her release, she worked at McDonald's and other shops. However, she failed to hold the jobs because of lack of knowledge and working experience.

“I was wasting time while everyone of my age was learning or studying,” the 18-year-old Ah Bo said. “I wasted a total of four to five years.”

She did not have any vocational training in the rehabilitation centre. According to Mr Wong, some inmates may only be imprisoned for a short period of time and therefore no vocational training is provided.

On a social worker's suggestion, Ah Bo has joined the Fullness Salon organised by the Fullness Christian Vocational Training Centre as a trainee for about a year. She learns the hairdressing skills such as washing hair and doing colour treatment.

Fullness Salon, located in Sai Wan Ho, is more than an ordinary salon. It helps nurture ex-offenders' interests in hairdressing and teach them practical knowledge of hairstyling.

Lee Chiu-leung, a registered social worker at the Fullness Christian Vocational Training Centre, said their training was different from those provided by other organisations.

“Unlike other ordinary training which only provides the young offenders some abstract knowledge like how to handle a job interview, we offer vocational training together with a paid job to motivate them,” he said. The training usually takes 18 months, longer than that offered by other groups.

The centre also provides training in air-conditioning engineering and auto services.

Mr Lee said those vocational learning programmes provided a buffer for ex-offenders to make them feel comfortable and be free from discrimination.

However, he said prolonged comfort would hinder ex-offenders' genuine reintegration into society. The centre only functions as a bridge to the real world outside. “After they grasp the fundamental technical knowledge, we will ask them to leave and take up the real challenges,” he said. Most of the centre's trainees can get an appropriate job based on what they have learnt.

Ah Bo now earns about $4,000 a month and in another half a year, she will finish the training and be able to find a job in an ordinary salon.

At Fullness, Ah Bo has a glimpse of the future of her development in the profession. Through vocational training, she has a better self-understanding and a better direction in life.

“I really regret what I did. I get to know what life means and how to make it meaningful by learning something,” she said.

Ah Bo has changed a lot since the training. “The types of friends that I have now are totally different from the ones I had before. They are not those who only go to discos,” she said.

She gives half of her salary to her mother to show gratitude for the family support in her difficult years.

When asked whether she had disclosed her past to her boyfriend, she simply answered: “Why not?” She considers nothing wrong to be honest about her past and she is not reluctant to talk about that.

Knowing Ah Bo's history, her boyfriend was shocked, not because he could not accept it, but because she had transformed.

“I cherish that I have made the changes to become what I am today,” Ah Bo said.

Ah Bo and other trainees learn their skills of hairstyling from Li Lai-man, a senior hairstylist who joined the Fullness Salon because of religious belief.

Ms Li said she would not discriminate against ex-offenders and would carefully choose her words when communicating with them in order not to hurt their feelings.

“They may feel inferior. They are more fragile, sensitive and emotional than ordinary people,” Ms Li said. She described herself not only as a senior hairstylist, but also a “big sister” who would guide ex-offenders to the right track.

Public acceptance helps ex-offenders rebuild their confidence, according to Mr Lee.

“We should welcome these former delinquent teenagers back to our society,” he said. “Although they have done something wrong before, we should not assume that they are
going to do something wrong for the rest of their lives.”