Political Quotes

“The second chance idea is that people who get out of prison ought to be supported. The little money you spend on support pales in consideration to what usually happens. They get out, they can't find a job, they can't do anything, and they are right back into prison at $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 a year. If you spend a little bit of money supporting them, they might not come back. One of the elements the President talked about today is the ``ban the box.'' When you fill out an application, there is a little box, ``Have you ever been convicted of a felony?'' If you check the box, that is the end of the interview. What the ban the box is suggesting is don't talk about the criminal record at first. Go through the process so you can present your credentials. Then, at the end of the process, they can discuss criminal record, but not at the beginning. You will find that many people, the conviction is so far past. Studies have shown that after a few years, if you have got a clean record, the chance of you committing a crime isn't any higher than the general population. So if it is a 15-year-old nonviolent offense, well, maybe it is not relevant; and maybe your credentials are so much better than everybody else's that you are the right person for the job, but you never would have had the opportunity to present your credentials if you had to check the box.…”