THE IMPACT OF LIFETIME CRIMINAL RECORDS ON EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS OF REHABILITATED EX-CONVICTS IN NAMIBIAN STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES

Аңдатпа

Individuals with criminal convictions encounter several barriers to employment. Getting a job is significant to the successful re-entry of prisoners into society. However, it presents several hindrances to those seeking to get back to society. Namibia has a permanent criminal record system with no option of suspension or expungement of records which could negatively impact the employment prospects of rehabilitated prisoners. It is against this backdrop that the study researched the effect of lifetime criminal records on the employability of rehabilitated ex-convicts in Namibia State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The study employed a mixed-methodology research design. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered to generate robust information addressing the research problem. The quantitative study had 217 respondents comprising of rehabilitated ex-convicts and 66 Human Resource Practitioners in state-owned enterprises. The qualitative study had 10 respondents each of ex-convicts and HR Practitioners. The statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) whereas thematic analysis was done using Atlas.ti. The study established that although persons released from prison undertake vocational training and correctional programmes their employability is significantly challenged by criminal record disclosure laws and stringent hiring practices in the SOEs. Ex-prisoners are further disadvantaged as most employers today insist on police clearance certificates as a requirement for employment. Thus the study concluded that the perpetual criminal record in Namibia is destructive to the human resource potential of society and therefore recommended rehabilitation certification programs, expungement of criminal records and development of inclusive recruitment policies amongst other interventions.

Keywords: criminal records, employment opportunities, reform, reintegration, State-Owned Enterprises, social exclusion.