Offender Job Search Programs Getting Cut

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Story Published: Sep 30, 2009 at 10:07 PM PDT

By Molly Kelleher

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KENNEWICK - Sex offenders and ex-cons, looking for work. It's tough enough for people who aren't offenders, for them it's nearly impossible.

But if they don't get a job, chances are they go back to jail. And it's your tax money that will put them back there. Now one program designed to break that cycle is being hit with budget cuts.

"There's nothing easy about it. it's hard for everybody but especially hard for offenders," said Bob Goad.

Goad has two very different work places one here at WorkSource and then he splits his time at Coyote Ridge Correction Center.

He works with the inmates getting ready to get out and the ex-cons trying to land a job after they serve their time.

"If there's nobody there to help them with resumes or how to talk about incarceration what are they going to do? It's a revolving door."

Here's what a lot of employers and even offenders don't know. The state offers tax incentives and bonding to businesses hiring offenders.

Meaning, if your insurance doesn't cover the hire, the state will. But that's not always enough for some employers.

"There's nothing easy about it, it's hard for everybody especially hard for offenders."

And it's getting harder, state budget cuts are slicing deep this year the offender employment services they used to have a $2 million budget, but state cuts now sliced it to just a half-million for the entire state.

Tri-Cities, Yakima, Walla Walla each have only one staffer working with offenders. There's just a dozen total in the state now a year ago the number was more than double.

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