Letter to the editor: Former inmates deserve second chances

Flagger Force employs over 1,000 workers across Pennsylvania, including more than 320 people in Western Pennsylvania. Team members bring diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and experiences, including a significant number who are justice-involved.

As a believer in fair-chance employment and giving people who want to work the opportunity to do so, I support the bipartisan House Bill 1826. This law would expand the automatic sealing of drug felonies after 10 years conviction-free, expand petition sealing by courts and shorten sealing waiting periods for minor convictions. Sealing criminal records for external publics would remove barriers to success in life for justice-involved people.

The contributions and potential of formerly incarcerated people cannot be fully realized by businesses and our economy if the current system and policies inherently work against them. I believe, as an employer, we have an opportunity, through offering gainful employment and other supportive services, to break the cycle of recidivism. By supporting HB 1826, together we can fight systemic issues that underlie labor issues, break generational cycles that lead to crime and aid in a more inclusive economic recovery.

Mike Doner

New Kensington

The writer is president and CEO at Flagger Force.