County OKs '2nd chance' hiring of 100 nonviolent convicts

Cook County taxpayers will soon be paying for nonviolent convictsto work in entry-level county jobs under a plan unanimously approvedThursday by Cook County commissioners.

The program, sponsored by Commissioners Bobbie Steele and RobertoMaldonado, will put 100 people convicted of drug charges, theft andother offenses into existing, vacant jobs.

Candidates can only have one nonviolent offense on their recordand must go through an extensive interview with an appointed board todetermine the nature of the offense, the age they committed it andthe bearing it has had on their ability to find a job since.

If approved, they are put on the job for one year, after …