Letter to the editor: Addressing probation reform

Gene Barr’s op-ed supporting probation “reform” is not only misleading but absurd in its suggestion that it would increase employment for people with convictions (“Probation reform a solution to Pa.’s workforce crisis,” March 24, TribLIVE).

Barr points to a real issue of onerous probation regulations that keep people from seeking work across county lines and that dissuade employers from hiring people on probation. This is indeed one of the many ways probation has operated as a labyrinth of barriers with no clear way out. The problem with Senate Bill 913, however, is that it does nothing to address the regulations that govern probation nor the ways technical violations are meted out indiscriminately.

In fact, Barr’s interpretation of the bill conveniently glosses over the fact that not only does SB913 increase the power of judges to use incarceration for probation violations, but it also expands the authority of who can issue a probation detainer to include police officers. The idea that SB913 could open pathways to employment for people with conviction histories is a gross fallacy.

To address the workforce crisis, the state should eliminate the hundreds of barriers to employment that face people with conviction histories, develop programs for apprenticeships that lead to unionized employment and increase the minimum wage.

Leigh Owens

Philadelphia