people, the data is proven that if we are able to intervene during their custody in the region first six months, the reintegrate more to society in the listing the private sector where they had not been listed before the of the routine strategy of getting them a construction job receives to be the lead a strategy for menial labor like a growth restore, we really aren't answering the larger problem. in to the question of public safety and crime prevention. a think it is worth experimenting in determining how we get access to employment for a population that lives it extremely difficult and one that continuously challenges the public safety concerns. questions,, why would we favor this population that is not

politically popular as a population that would be a more deserving and are lawbreakers. it is a good question. i suggest -- i support the other populations like veterans, that legislation should also be considered, too. as an outgoing supervisor ed hatcher of the elector, i try to look ahead to see what we do with this increased population that we are not going to be able to incarcerate for probably more than one to two years, they go out and post custody, adult probation does not have the tools that they need. we need to start looking ahead at what the game plan is in a more comprehensive way. we need to a list of the business sector in the private sector to make it happen.

in our contact with the states of maryland, illinois, and i was, they consistently said that within the cities, there are red cities, he might lose states, but conservative cities the realize they have to deal with the aftermath of the incarceration. but i look at the anti- recidivism programs, one of the weak links in have francisco, one of the weak links is the question of reintegration of in the jobs in the housing. i think that the arithmetic is self evident. at nearly a cost of $50,000 a year, a davis is a strategy for us to save money, ultimately,

and apply the dollars saved for more effective services in the intervention. let's use this strategy as a two-year texas to develop how we might be able to do it better in the event that we need to. a neighbor of of the public defender and the chief, also of folks from the sheriff's department, adult probation, and i will call a number of other folks. supervisor chu: i want to welcome the third graders from the elementary school, we hope you are allot at city hall and you have a lot of fun. >> i am here to support this legislation. the problem that we're trying to address here is how to ensure that people coming out of the

criminal justice system do not come back. that is the one clear that everybody in the criminal- justice system tries to strive for. working as a public defender in the criminal-justice system, the one thing that i can say with certainty is that unemployment is probably the number-one factor that determines if a person who does come back. most of them are crimes that stem from poverty, necessity, stealing to survive. if you talk about crimes like petty theft, drug dealing, it is a vast majority of the crimes we see on a day-to-day basis and the people are imprisoned for. the reality is, in this

difficult economic time, everybody wants jobs. it is ec-wide priority. this simply provides a tool whereby one of population of individuals that are in need of employment have an equal opportunity to compete. the resolution and for the interventions surveys. these are national surveys as well as state surveys. it shows that employers are extremely reluctant to have much less likely to hire a person that has been convicted of any crime. as the the the car becomes more serious or becomes substantially related -- is extremely unlikely

that the person is either considered for employment. we have done a number of things to try and provide greater opportunities. we have the bonding program that provides employers with the opportunity to seek local as well as federal bonding form of insurance that provides the guarantee of that if there are any issues related to liability, those issues will be covered by either federal or local law been measures. we have also worked in my office to assist individuals that wish to clear the records.

we help over 2000 people and year expunge their records. in other words, clear their records of her prior misdemeanor or felony conviction. this is certainly a and warned his that clearing one's records. today, almost anyone can get access to records that have expunged through the internet. there were a number of services are operating outside the state of california, and even though a person might clear the record, it will still be used against them and will restrict employment opportunities even more. the programs around the country that have been successful have three components.

one is bonding, to is a training program, and the third thing is a tax credit. the federal government provides a tax credit and it encourages employers to hire ex-offenders by reducing their federal income-tax liability by as much as $2,400 per qualified worker. this is a program the has been very successful. to address the concern that this is going to exclude people who don't have felony convictions or don't have criminal histories, that hasn't been borne out by other cities and states that have lamented this program. i believe in pennsylvania, they have had this on the books for

quite a few years, the last six months they have actually put some teeth into it and try to reach out to employers. they provided 50 jobs for individuals over the past six months. this is not program that is going to create thousands of jobs to the exclusion of others who do not have a history. i would also point out that the legislation from lawyers hiring a person with a criminal history that would exclude a person or result of the termination of a person that does not have a criminal history, it is included in this legislation. i do think that this program who deserves an opportunity to see if over the next two years and can be used as an effective tool. it is not going to solve the

problem, but it can be used if we work with agencies, nonprofits, religious to based organizations, to help them implement the overall goal of helping individuals find work. i would offer a couple of suggestions. i have reviewed the legislation from other states as well as the federal had a legislation. they have focused eligibility of individuals, and i will read the language here, someone who has been convicted of a felony and is tired of more than one year after the conviction or release from prison for that felony. we have targeted people that have been released from jail or prison in the last year or who have been convicted of a felony. in san francisco, i will -- i

would suggest that we consider a three-year period. parole can differ. that way, we're not talking about anyone convicted of a felony, we're talking about focusing on the population that would be a smaller population of individuals that were either convicted of a felony or released from prison or to roll or on probation for the past three years. with that, i would express not only by support of my willingness to work with all the other agencies to ensure that the ultimate goal is a matter, and that is reducing recidivism through love and opportunities. supervisor mirkarimi: from the sherriff'iff's office?

chief zimmerman, please come up. thank you for your time. >> thank you, supervisors. chief juvenile probation officer. i am here to offer testimony in support of any legislation that provides opportunities for individuals to adjust and reform their behavior and provide the city with an opportunity to participate in the true spirit of probation, the instances where the identity of probation and parole is somehow a morphed into this realignment supervision of defenders. the definition of probation and i would say also parole is the current of liberty based on the

promise of reform. reform, reclamation, and redemption. based on my professional experience, i find that the employment of individuals that have emerged from the juvenile and criminal justice system is the most promising impact of redemption and reform, it provides the community with a veil of security and public safety of like any other reform measure our program for individuals emerging from incarceration. it is my hope that this legislation advances and provides a stronger and larger pool of employment opportunities for our san francisco residents.

i am hopeful that the individuals that are targeted for this program also included juvenile that have conviction on a felony level. i would offer my support in conjunction with others from the public safety committee the here today. supervisor mirkarimi: chief, one trend we're keeping watchful of is the young offender adult populatioin. an -- population. >> absolutely. supervisor mirkarimi: the 16- 18 year old sectroor that this legislation seeks to, too. >> as we try to help individuals

in their years as a juvenile, some of them graduate to the adult system, unfortunately. for those that we can provide opportunities and at an early age before the transfer to the adult system, the better off the community is. >> i work for the sheriff's office. he spent his entire career building programs to help the public safety of lower recidivism. he has turned active vendors into productive members of society. some of these programs include the charter school, the education programs, career fairs, and more. these go beyond the violence

prevention programs as the focus on preparing offenders to enter the workforce. we have had many success stories, and i will tell you about the hurdles of our work. and what has fallen short. supervisor mirkarimi: can you put the microphone just a little bit closer? >> ex-offenders are ready, willing, and able to work. they are more than qualified for, but they do not get the jobs based on criminal history and the end up back in jail. the cycle and results are more than predictable. he can support himself and his loved ones. he gets frustrated and depressed, ending with his bathers that put him in jail in the first place. it hurts not only the ex offender, it hurts his family, costs are city of $50,000 a year

for each failure had it does nothing to improve public safety. this legislation proposes to give a $10,000 tax break to any local business the buyers a tax offender and keeps them working. their 50% less likely to free of fat, and that will save the city $50,000. it doesn't include -- the financial and emotional costs of the city goes well beyond the $50,000 to incarcerate an ex- offender. they can reduce recidivism, and strengthen communities and increase public safety. even at a 50% success rate, for every $20,000 in tax breaks, we get a return of 30,000-$80,000.

it is postmarked in a fiscally responsible. i urge you to support it. supervisor mirkarimi: -- supervisor chu: with regard to the $50,000 cost savings that was mentioned, i of the there is an estimate of 46,000. when you have the reduction of one inmate, we don't see the budget and go down by $50,000. you have a fixed budget. correct? >> true, but if this works, then we do see that savings. supervisor chu: you'd need a certain amount of folks to not be incarcerated to have an effective savings. but if it is a wonder to, there are fixed costs -- one or two,

there ar fixed costs? >> i would say that there would be savings because they are saving the police from going out. supervisor chu: there are many other costs that are not included, but in terms of the share of's -- sheriff's department costs, it might not go down by one in may. -- inamte. >> that's correct. -- inmate. >> that's correct. supervisor mirkarimi: adult probation, please. >> david cook, chief deputy adult probation officer. i regret that the chief can't be here personally, but she wants to extend her appreciation to supervisor mirkarimi for

extending this ordinance to incentivize hiring people with conviction records. i am here in support of the proposal to establish a payroll expense tax. obtaining and retaining employment is critical for a successful reentry. 100% of people released from prison are unemployed when they come to us, and another over 50% of the people under supervision of our department are unemployed. employment is very critical, this is why we build partnerships with the goodwill and other work force development partners to ensure that people under our supervision can act with the training and support they need to be competitive in the work force. we know that employment is critical to the success of people exiting the criminal justice system. we hope for a permanent exit,

they too often see a cycle of recidivism. in some instances, it is as high as 78%. a criminal conviction last alive time no matter how well qualified someone is. they may consider someone's record afor the position. when people are able to obtain employment, they are less likely to rea fend and are more likely to connect with their families, to remain free of substance abuse and to contribute to the community -- they are less likely to re-offend. i would just add, historical perspective about probation and parole, the acknowledged father of probation is john augustus,

who was a cobbler in boston. he was the first person to represent to the court that if they would release a person instead of sending them to jail and put them under his supervision, he would teach them how to make shoes. if you can teach somebody how to do work and they can gain employment, they are far less likely to remain involved in the criminal-justice system. again, i believe this is a very good investment. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you very much. >> thank you so much for hearing this item today. i am with the reentry council and the reentry division of the adult probation department. i am here to speak to the ordinance. the reentry council has not had an opportunity yet to formally consider this item, so i do not have an opinion to share formally from them, but i did

want to share that the reentry council has previously considered the issue and recommended to the board and the mayor that the city adopts local regulations to regulate the use and consideration of criminal backgrounds for applicants in housing and employment decisions. the human rights commission has also urged the board to adopt such regulations to ensure that people with criminal histories are afforded a fair opportunity to compete in workforce and housing environments, and we look forward to working with you on that. i believe such regulations would complement and strengthen the financial incentives that are being proposed today, so that we could have a thoughtful balance of financial incentives for businesses to do the right thing and give people who have been recently released a second chance and also some regulations to require that they do the right thing by ensuring equal opportunity for people living with a criminal record -- be it 10, 20 years out when that information keeps popping up.

i recommend that the committee consider prioritizing people who have been recently released and those currently under supervision for what will inevitably be a limited number of financial incentives. these are individuals who are most likely to re-offend, the individuals most likely to commit harm to the community and the individuals most likely -- the individuals that are currently under supervision and would most likely result in costs to the city and jail systems. i believe we can work with our work force development partners to ensure we have a well- trained, ready to work population of individuals on probation or parole or post- supervision, who are ready to work and would like to partner with us to insure that this is implemented effectively. again i would say -- very supportive of this legislation and appreciate supervisor

mirkarimi's leadership on this issue and would recommend that these be prioritized for people who had been released, perhaps within the last three years, or who are currently under probation or parole. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. appreciate it. >> director of the office of small business. the small business commission heard this matter in november and unanimously approved to recommend that the board of supervisors adopt this legislation. key factors -- the small business commission felt that the small business community has a role in helping this particular population. this tax credit is a meaningful amount of a tax credit for a business, and to provide incentives. also, the fact that this legislation does have a limited scope and there is a time frame

for which there is to be a review and evaluation. our office is also -- supervisor mirkarimi said there are not many marketing dollars, but the commission and office, once this is passed and adopted, is happy to work with the office of economic and workforce development to market and promote this tax credit to the small businesses within the city. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. commissioner dejesus. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i want to commend supervisor mirkarimi and this committee for bringing in this measure. i certainly would support it. i am year as an individual, but i have also been public defender for many years -- i am here as an individual, but i have been a public defender for many years. i support the measure because it is a way for the city to be

proactive rather than reactive. one of the things the police department has done is to reduce crime in the last few years, and we would like that to continue. i think the measure is a win-win for the returning citizens and a way to get their feet on the ground, to get them secure, to keep them from the offending. it is a win for the companies with the tax credit. if successful, hopefully, they will hire more ex-offenders. it certainly could be successful for the police in terms of services we have to provide on the front lines. as a public defender, i work with many offenders and continue a relationship with them after they are released from custody. one of the things i recall -- we had to work a furlough program, and many hundreds of individuals were in a program where they were able to maintain their jobs. program was self-sustaining and

that was one way to help people with convictions maintain jobs, but that program no longer exists. this is a step in the right direction, putting our efforts in to help people get out, get jobs and help them now re- offend. i support it wholeheartedly. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. we have someone from hrc -- schuman rights. -- human rights. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am a policy analyst with the san francisco human rights commission. on behalf of the commission and executive director teresa sparks, i thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter. human rights commission has been examining the public safety, fiscal, and racial impact of businesses that conduct background checks and use those checks to screen out persons with arrest or conviction records.

based on our meetings as well as our research, we have come up with a couple of bindings or themes. the use of criminal background checks varies from businesses to businesses. some have check boxes on the application. some actually conduct background checks and screen out persons who do have conviction records. other businesses use other means including resumes and interviews with more traditional means. they use various companies which have different levels of accuracy in reporting. the san francisco businesses are interested in -- are interested in hiring persons with the arrest records and what an incentive to do so. persons with the arrest and conviction records continue to ce