Austin Barry stood outside of the Honda Center on Tuesday looking for a little redemption and a job.
Just eight days out of prison for a robbery conviction, the 24-year-old Mission Viejo resident was among 200 former offenders who attended the Orange County Re-entry Resource Fair, which connected felons with employment opportunities, legal advice and drug-treatment programs.
“I’m looking for a fresh start, which is kind of hard for any person with a record,” said Barry, who served a 2 1/2-year sentence at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi.
The second annual fair was sponsored by nonprofit Orange County Re-Entry Partnership; BI Incorporated, which operates the county’s two probation and parole reporting centers; and the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, which had attorneys on hand to help ex-offenders fill out paperwork to try and get some felonies reduced to misdemeanors under the state’s Prop. 47.
The job fair aimed to help attendees avoid committing future crimes, said Meghan Medlin, board chairwoman of the nonprofit.
“It can be hard for them to navigate the system,” she said.
A popular spot at the fair was at a booth operated by Crown Ace Hardware, a Huntington Beach company that has 16 stores in California and Arizona.
Two years ago, like other businesses in an international push called Ban the Box, Crown Ace removed the box from its job applications, which prospective employees had checked if they had a criminal record.
Since then, Crown Ace has had success in hiring ex-offenders to work in its stores, said Dean Bramlett, the company’s human-resource manager.
“Our company believes in helping the community,“ she said. “Everyone deserves a second chance."
For Scott Schwebke's entire story, please click here
Comments (0)