Donald McDonald: Give recovered a chance

Regarding the Sept. 6 Point of View “For former criminals, don’t ban the box: Expand it”: I’m a privileged fellow, a recovered drug addict and a man with years of dumb luck not getting arrested for crimes committed. Privilege and dumb luck have given me tremendous opportunity to thrive in recovery, which means more than the absence of drugs and alcohol from an otherwise unchanged life.

Recovery means the freedom to live a full life. My family and I enjoy community, autonomy and a sense of purpose.

I spent the last six years working with men and women who are not privileged, who did get caught breaking the law, but who also recovered from drug addiction. Many of them could be my boss if they had the chance. That’s just it. They don’t get the chance.

When a prospective employer sees “the box” before meeting the person, stigma wins. Give us a seat at the table. Look into our eyes. Let us win them over with our talent, our experience, our resilience, our work ethic, our passion, our redemption or joy for living. Then look at “the box” and truly learn to live with their decision to limit our opportunity to live full lives.

Fair-chance hiring is a human rights win.

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Donald McDonald: Give recovered a chance."