Probation officers' mission is to raise awareness that ex-offenders deserve a second chance

Bad decisions and their consequences shouldn't have to define the rest of a person's life, says 29-year-old Marvin Eason, who now resides in Cape Girardeau after serving time in a federal prison.

At age 21, Eason's bad choices involved trafficking cocaine, a crime that landed him seven years in a medium-security facility in Pekin, Ill.

He was released last year and moved to Cape Girardeau on Oct. 31. He had the support of his father and other relatives, but there were still obstacles in his transition from prison to everyday life.

Based on the latest study by the Legal Action Center, an organization that fights discrimination against people with criminal records, Eason isn't the only one struggling. Missouri ranks in the top 10 worst states in the country for creating roadblocks -- unfair and counterproductive barriers -- for ex-offenders re-entering society.

"It was very hard when I first got here. As far as finding a job, it was really hard," Eason said. "If you want to change and make it, you're going to make it."

Additionally, Eason said, if it weren't for the U.S. Probation Office in the Eastern District and his parole officers there, he may not have a job. Because despite employers having the option of refusing to hire someone with a criminal record, probation officers Kathy Hollenbeck and Belinda Ashley make it their mission to raise awareness that ex-offenders deserve a second chance.

Because finding employment is the biggest barrier their clients face, Hollenbeck and Ashley, who work at the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Cape Girardeau, assist ex-offenders and offer incentives to employers. In the Eastern District in fiscal year 2010, less than 7 percent of the ex-offenders on probation failed to complete their supervision requirements.

"This district is very proactive. Our chief, he's really open to thinking outside the box," Ashley said. "We're trying very hard to get people into better-paying jobs that are more long-term so they're not looking at illegal jobs in the future."

A series of programs are available to ex-offenders, including training in basic skills, like crafting a resume and opening a checking account. The probation office also partners businesses with ex-offenders, hoping each will benefit -- the company gets a good employee and the ex-offender brings in income.

By assisting ex-offenders under supervision, Ashley said, her clients get a chance to re-enter their communities and become a productive, law-abiding residents. It saves resources, she said, strengthens families and expands the labor force.

"The cost of housing an individual in prison averages more than $23,000 per year," Ashley said. "It is much more cost-effective to have this person contributing to the tax base instead of reducing it."

In some cases, businesses that are willing to hire an ex-offender are eligible for a federal bond of up to $5,000. Ashley said the bond is similar to an insurance policy. It covers any type of stealing -- theft, forgery, embezzlement -- and is available for the first six months of the ex-offender's employment.

"It's in case somebody takes something from them, and then they can get their money reimbursed," Ashley said. "It doesn't often happen, but when it does they want that risk minimized."

In other cases, participating employers are offered a tax credit that compensates the business by reducing its federal income tax liability.

"People don't realize that we've got people from every walk of life on supervision, it's not just the people that have committed murder and that kind of thing. Most of our offenders are nonviolent," Ashley said.

The probation office was able to pair Eason with River City Biologicals, a raw material supply company in Cape Girardeau, offering the tax credit incentive. Eason, who works as a lab technician, said he enjoys everything about his job, but mostly that it allows him to adequately care for his 2-month-old son.

"The environment is good. I don't have anyone standing over me 24-7. We're a small company, and we all work hard," Eason said. "We're here 11 hours a day sometimes."

Eason also takes college courses online through the University of Phoenix and is set to receive his associate's degree in computer technology and web design in just under two years. He's made mistakes, he said, but he's determined to succeed now and ex-offenders like him deserve a second chance.

"I went in when I was 21, and it wasn't worth it," Eason said. "I've said to myself 'I can't do this again. I'm not going that route.'"

Interview clothes

In addition to her day-to-day schedule, Hollenbeck heads special projects, like an emergency food bank and a clothes closet to help ex-offenders better themselves.

Hollenbeck began running the two programs in full force around six months ago, collecting food and clothing from federal courthouse staff and even bringing it in herself. Recently, she's partnered with local clothing stores -- Reruns and Coldwater Creek -- to collect suiting appropriate for ex-offenders to wear to job interviews.

"These people didn't have anything to wear, usually nothing but jeans and a T-shirt. And without a job they couldn't afford to purchase any," Hollenbeck said. "Everyone needs a helping hand."

Hollenbeck operates the clothes closet in a locker room at the federal courthouse and almost always has a request to fill, she said. But she doesn't have styles and sizes to fit all the women and men she supervises and is taking donations from the anyone in the public willing to help. She'd eventually like to hold a community clothing drive, she said.

"Not to take away business from Goodwill or places like that, but they will go to good use here," Hollenbeck said. "If they put themselves in an offender's shoes, they really have a hard road to walk if they don't have any family support. We want to give them a second chance."

ehevern@semissourian.com

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