US Attorney Nettles: How we can form a more perfect re-union

In the beloved words of the preamble to our Constitution, the Founding Fathers invited “a more perfect Union.” This constitutional charge is not static; each new generation of Americans inherits both its burden and its privilege. Its ideals are neither stale nor antiquated. It is a collective obligation that extends even to now.

As the U.S. attorney for the South Carolina, I have worked these past six years alongside career prosecutors and state and federal law enforcement in pursuit of the Founding Fathers’ aspirations to enable security and establish justice and promote great welfare. Together, we have worked to produce safer neighborhoods within which to live and to raise our children. Today, violent and drug crime is at significantly impactful lows. But the question persists: Can we do better? Can we be even “more perfect” in our union?

We take pride in American innovation, yet we have the good sense not to throw out traditions that are working. Instead, we forge new solutions to improve upon what we have inherited from prior generations. Nowhere is this more true than in fighting crime.

Incarceration is a traditional and effective tool to protect our communities. Research tells us more tools are needed.

For each of the past three years, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has released approximately 800 South Carolinians, while the S.C. Corrections Department has annually released upwards of 9,000 inmates. In all, 95 percent of people incarcerated in state prisons will return to our communities. So in addition to incarceration, law enforcement necessarily includes making sure that reintegration is safe for neighbors and healthy for returning citizens.

The obstacles facing a releasing inmate are daunting, so federal and state prisons agencies are working creatively to prepare inmates for post-incarceration through relevant job-skills training. Likewise, our office has partnered with others to provide education and encouragement for those being released from prison. Still, more can be done. In fact, ordinary South Carolinians and local industry play the most important role.

Experts tell us that having a job is the single most important predictor of an individual’s likely success after incarceration. South Carolinians can help.

About one in three S.C. adults has a criminal record, mostly involving relatively minor, non-violent offenses, many from years ago. In hiring, employers can learn to better understand the context for an applicant’s prior criminal record. This means asking potential employees about qualifications before asking about criminal records. It means considering prior convictions relative to the risks for a particular job.

Use the most reliable, not least expensive, methods of performing background checks to ensure you get the most accurate information, and consider evidence of the applicant’s rehabilitation. Highlight to the public the intangible and charitable values of these hiring practices; in other words, connect these practices to your bottom line.

Finally, consider the loyalty and retention rates enjoyed by other companies, including John Hopkins Hospital, that hire this non-traditional population.

A “more perfect Union” necessarily includes our returning citizens. They are our neighbors, family and fellow church members. We either know them personally or share city limits. One way or the other, our lives will be impacted by their success or failure. Their rehabilitation through employment and opportunity is an essential key to community safety. This is the promise of the Constitution: that in true union, the blessings of liberty might inure to us all.

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 1:39 AM with the headline "US Attorney Nettles: How we can form a more perfect re-union."