JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - JAX Chamber announced Tuesday dozens of companies have joined an initiative to give people with a crime in their past more hope during their job search.
Project Open Door and national "Ban the Box" campaign asks employers to remove questions about past felonies or arrests from the initial application.
"When I check the box for an application, I'm automatically discriminated from the job," said Jacksonville resident Jarvis Guthrie. "My application gets thrown away, I don't even get the interview."
Guthrie said he was inebriated and a first time offender when he broke into a home in 2012. The time he served in prison changed his life for the better.
"Prison doesn't define me, it redefined my life," said Guthrie. "I came out with a purpose and found my calling."
Even with his new outlook and four completed college certificates, Guthrie said few companies were interested.
"It doesn't matter how much education you have, it doesn't matter how much time you've been released from prison," Guthrie said. "Once they see that felony, it's failure, 'we don't want to touch you.'"
CEO of Operation New Hope, Kevin Gay, said employers that "Ban the Box" give ex-convicts like Guthrie the opportunity to explain their story to an employer before they are immediately disqualified.
"All we're asking for is not an advantage to anybody, but to give those who may have had a record in their past the comfort in knowing that there are companies that are willing to interview them," Gay said.
Gay said Operation New Hope has helped over 4,000 offenders re-enter society after release, and believes the initiative will reduce crime rates.
"When folks get jobs, it's one of the best crime prevention tools we have," Gay said.
JAX Chamber's Tuesday announcement noted one in four Americans has a prior arrest record, affecting nearly 80 million people "if employers tossed out every person who had to check 'yes' to being arrested."
The application change does not prevent employers from learning about an applicant's criminal history. Project Open Door in Jacksonville recommends companies ask about convictions at the end of an interview. Fifty First Coast companies including several major corporations have joined the project, according to JAX Chamber.
Guthrie, who said he wants to mentor other newly released inmates, said the initiative is about achieving goals.
"It's not just about getting a job, it's more than that," said Guthrie. "At least [with this] I can get my foot in the door and tell my story."
