Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Convicts face bleak job prospects after release
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. — Donald Thexton is looking for work.
He’s taken classes, written to trade unions, polished his resume.
His prospects aren’t good.
Thexton is 23, soft-spoken and polite. He has brown eyes and neatly combed bangs. To the state of Wisconsin, he formally is known as inmate 00450328, although nobody uses the zeros. He has served almost three years in prison on sexual assault charges stemming from relationships with girls ages 14 and 15 when he was in high school in Kewaskum, Wis.
He is scheduled for release in 56 days.
Tuesday, Thexton was among 386 inmates at the Jackson Correctional Institution who filed through the prison gym, where about a dozen people answered questions about work and life on the outside.
Thexton wanted to talk to the Army recruiter, whose table was obscured by a swarm of regulation green prison garb.
“The rumor is they’ll accept people with felonies,” Thexton said.
One of 22 Wisconsin correctional institutions, Jackson is a medium-security prison. Tan brick buildings flank baseball diamonds and basketball courts. It might pass for a community college campus, except for the loops of razor wire glinting in the sun.
On any given day, the prison houses about 1,000 men. Roughly 30 are released each month. Each one will have to give the same answer when asked if they’ve been convicted of a felony: Yes.
While the Department of Corrections philosophy is to prepare inmates to be productive citizens once they’ve served their time, finding good jobs is one of their greatest challenges, said Randall Hepp, the prison’s warden.
That’s why the prison offers such programs as Tuesday’s Transition Fair.
“This is a pipe dream,” said Adam Nelson, who is 27 and serving time for sexual assault of a child under 16. “Programs like this would be great if the economy was booming.
“They’re tracking us into the lowest-paying jobs. We know this, but we come here and smile.”
Thexton is pragmatic but hopeful.
He previously worked repairing scales. While in prison, he has taken a college class in computer programming. He’s worked as a peer tutor and as a manager in the cafeteria.
He’s put these things on his resume. But he knows the words felony and sex offender will haunt him.
He and his cellmate sent letters to unions — steamfitters, carpenters, electricians — “any program we could find.” Only two wrote back.
“They said because of the economy they weren’t hiring,” Thexton said.
But the Army might. The Army will accept convicts with up to three misdemeanors and one felony on their records, provided they aren’t on probation, said Sgt. 1st Class Gary La Couture.
That’s a long shot for most of the guys at Jackson. Of the more than 200 inmates La Couture talked with Tuesday, one was qualified.
Thexton worked his way through a dozen or so guys to the table.
“I have 10 years’ probation,” he said.
“That doesn’t matter,” said La Couture.
“How many felonies can we have?”
“One.”
“I have two.”
La Couture listened as Thexton told him the circumstances, emphasizing he was not violent.
“Those are really tough,” La Couture said. His advice: Convince a judge to remove one of the felonies.
Thexton moved on to the next table but seemed undeterred.
“It’s nice to know I might still be able to do something with the Army,” he said.
Chris Hubbuch can be reached at chris.hubbuch@lee.net or (608) 791-8217.
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