A one-time transgressor who restores high-performance autos for a living reflects on forgiveness, accountability and sobriety inside the workplace. While Christina Schneider never expects sympathy for her struggle with drug addiction, her odyssey deserves consideration from employers. Her advice to companies about giving former criminals a second chance is compelling. Yet with a labor shortage in the automotive repair service space — as well as other industry segments — there’s no winning template to lower the barriers of entry for former prison convicts to prove their credibility on a path to trust.
At 27, Christina was booked into the detention center in Riverside, Calif., for a heist gone wrong. Initially she faced 18 years jail time. “Believe it or not,” exhaled Christina in a sit-down interview with Aftermarket Business World, “I am really thankful for that day” because she was incarcerated for only two years.
Nowadays at Inokinetic, her knowledge and education has paid off as a service technician for one of California’s few modern Lotus car specialists. In this inclusive environment where everyone treats her as an equal, Christina advocates for second chances for vehicles and people.
Twisting wrenches for this auto restoration service has given her the space to tinker with these expensive toys. Christina speaks highly of the master restoration specialist who encourages her to stretch her passion for car care by rebuilding each to specification. These talents stem from learning oil changes at the local Hyundai dealership. Even though this stint from two years ago could have lasted longer than eight months, she felt compelled to move on. She added, “Maybe I was in a bit of a rush with Hyundai because I wanted to follow my heart.”
Grateful that Hyundai helped build her confidence enough to apply to Inokinetic, both turned out to be felon-friendly employers, though she recalls anticipating that they would conduct a background check. In time, her bosses would learn that on Sept. 25, 2014, she bid farewell to crystal meth, the culprit behind a 10-year free fall.
Reaching the stage of becoming employable at age 32, on the day of her release from jail is a testament to her fortitude. And it is a steep climb. A newly released prisoner must prove that they have reformed. Mindful of these hardships, Christina prepared herself against distrust and discouragement because 60 percent of this population often gives up and backslides behind bars. Gradually she regained the confidence and support of those around her.
Society can be unforgiving. In September 2019, The Washington Post found that nationwide thousands of regulations limit persons with a criminal history from gaining an occupational license. Regardless of the time invested to build a vocation in school for a specialized career, licensing boards can shut out people with a felonious background. Defenders for these restrictions want to protect the public even though the felon has served their time. Critics view the rules as too arbitrary. Experts fear that joblessness for the newly freed could result in them winding up back in jail as in desperation they seek any means to pay for rent and buy food.
Employers should look past old negative history to the improvements an applicant has made for the better, says Christina. Before Hyundai employed her, Jiffy Lube turned Christina away despite numerous letters of recommendations. Recalling this, Christina’s voice cracks, “People change. Go by how long someone did well and what [skills] they offer.” Leaning back in her chair, Christina struggled to telegraph her feelings about the real punishment that begins after prison.
As an adolescent whose drunken father routinely passed out in front of the TV, she was genetically predisposed to addiction. Her first experience with crystal meth at the age of 17 engulfed the pleasure senses in a euphoric rush that quickly faded. Chasing the elusive, overwhelming high of that first hit lasted a decade.
Christina brings wisdom for those struggling with alcoholism or addiction: “Addiction always progresses. Nobody stays in addiction where everything is always peachy.” During her lost mid-twenties, she combed every crack to find money to pay for that chemical dopamine kick to the brain that craves more. Taking careless risks came at a heavy price.
Repeated catch and release for petty theft emboldened Christina, who falsely believed that she could outrun the detectives who were tracking each move. Christina and her accomplice left a trail of fingerprints leading to a cache of jewelry grabbed from a string of pawn shop burglaries. “This is what happened to me,” she says referring to her bleakest moment, “Do you want to be that?”
She recalled pleading with the court that, “I was willing to bow down to do anything I had to do to correct myself.” In lieu of more prison time, the judge granted her drug treatment at the Riverside County Opportunity Center. She views the judge’s ruling as a gift. In addition to comprehensive behavioral therapies, Christina took advantage of recovery treatments, and eventually found an automotive trades program at College of the Desert.
An instructor guided her through the curriculum to acquire the skills for basic vehicle maintenance and repair training; this created more auto care opportunities, including scholarships and interacting with leaders in the Auto Care Association. Through mentors she met then former chapter president of Women in Auto Care, Amy Mattinat, who introduced Christina to a group of female teaching professionals called Women in Machines. Christina joined them in teaching students the hands-on basics of brakes, underhood and drivability. A Palm Springs, Calif., newspaper last year quoted Christina saying, “My life has never been better than it is right now.”
What disturbs Christina today is hidden drug use inside the service bay. Negligence creates the likelihood of a safety hazard, she cautions. “That’s someone’s life that’s being placed in the installer’s hands,” she warns. Imagine someone who fails to securely fasten a few bolts as the car drives away from the lot. The automotive repair facility assumes total liability, which is why she would be the first to confront anyone she suspects using illegal substances. Christina believes that anyone who regularly touches a vehicle should always undergo mandatory drug testing. That would minimize any unnecessary perils, even though such testing excludes medically prescribed opioids that kill 150 Americans daily. “Shop owners shouldn’t wait for an accident to happen.”
Christina’s courage in defeating addiction and the havoc it created in her life carries lessons for us all about persistence and finding the right people to help you move forward.
Christina’s courage in defeating addiction and the havoc it created in her life carries lessons for us all about persistence and finding the right people to help you move forward.
Unemployment now rests at 3.6 percent. To meet demand, some companies must rethink their hiring policies. Wisconsin-based Stoughton Trailers caught the attention of The New York Times. Stoughton needed capable hands to wire and harness taillights onto the sidewalls for their semitrailers. A human resource manager representing the family-run manufacturer told the Times that ownership spurned the thought of outlaws on their payroll. However, their recruiting incentives to fill a dozen positions were failing until management reconsidered the short-term implications of filling customer orders. Soon after, they started hiring felons in work-release programs. One won their Employee of the Month award. He bought a 2015 Ford Fusion with the money he saved up at $14 per hour and is now advancing his career at another company that promises greater responsibility.
Sanel Napa Auto Parts took a humanistic approach in 2008 at the rise of the Great Recession by working closely with the New Hampshire Department of Corrections. While many companies were laying off their workers, the president of this New England multi-store chain took a calculated decision to continue recruiting men and women transitioning from halfway homes. They contributed to the retailer’s growth resulting in one person becoming a buyer and another promoted to merchandising.
Turning our backs on this labor pool may seem a safe bet, or convenient to showcase a few as a form of public relations, but those who have lost everything and are scrabbling up the cliff face of reform often prove to be exemplary hires.
Working with state-run work-release programs and non-profits that help people like Christina to find jobs is a solution many suppliers and manufacturers have found rewarding. The question remains: how far is this industry willing to go to forgive?