Texas looks to reform criminal justice system as convicts attempt to reenter workforce

The story of Mario Morones, a reformed felon who struggled to find work more than 20 years after serving his sentence for cocaine possession and theft, struck a nerve among ABC-7 viewers.

ABC-7 received about a dozen emails from others who found themselves in similar circumstances.

One woman shared her own struggle with ABC-7 on the condition of anonymity, for fear of jeopardizing her job search.

“I literally cried because it was so nice to know that I was not the only person having this problem,” she said.

The woman said she has been searching for work for a year. Many of the interviews go well, she said, until a certain part of the job application is reviewed.

“You can literally see their demeanor change once they see that I’ve checked that box that asks if you’ve been convicted of a felony,” she said.

The El Pasoan was convicted on three counts of felony credit card abuse in 2000 and was sentenced to five years probation.

“I had a lapse in judgment,” she said, explaining how the arrest happened. “I was a young, single mother and I was struggling to take care of my child. I made a very bad choice, and I’ve learned from it.”

Her resume shows she worked in the private sector before, during and after she was sentenced. She was employed by the state and federal government in the years after she served her probation.

She told ABC-7 she had to stop working in 2011 when she was diagnosed with cancer and despite her experience and education, hasn’t had luck getting back into the workforce since going into remission.

“Everywhere I turn it’s a door slamming in my face,” she said, dabbing at tears in her eyes. “I’m just looking for that one door to be cracked where I can put my foot in it and prove that I’m a good person.”

State Rep. Joe Moody, (D) El Paso, told ABC-7 by phone from Austin that the legislature has been trying to reform laws regulating criminal justice.

“This is the exact issue they’re talking about: employability,” he said. “There are certain nonviolent offenders we don’t want to make unemployable for the rest of their lives.”

The legislature has been working to redo the laws regulating deferred adjudication. With deferred adjudication, a defendant pleads guilty to a judge and is placed on probation. The judge dismisses the case once the defendant completes probation and defers the finding of guilt. This isn’t considered a conviction under state law.

“In most people’s minds, they think if they dismiss the case that means it won’t follow them for the rest of their lives,” said Moody. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for even those who’ve had the cases dismissed.”

Moody, an attorney, said one bill showing promise of passage, HB 3936, would allow certain offenders to not disclose to the public their criminal history if they received deferred adjudication.

At last check, HB 3936 made it out of committee and was scheduled to be heard by the full House.

“It is our job to make sure the laws work the way they’re supposed to,” Moody said. “Those things outside the criminal justice process are what we need to take care of within the system so we don’t (disenfranchise) a large class of nonviolent offenders in the state.”

While the benefits of HB 3936 may not apply to the woman who spoke to ABC-7 about her struggles, she said she’ll try to maintain her optimism and continue being upfront about her background during job interviews.

“I am a success story. I am what the corrections department aims to be,” she said. “I’d like employers to judge people on who they are today and not who they were 10 years ago.”