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Employers who hire ex-convicts can receive tax credits and temporary insurance that pays if the convict steals from the company.

That was the message from a federal probation officer who spoke to a small group of employers and community activists Wednesday in Fayetteville.

Donald Hargrove said available tax credits are up to $2,400 for every newly released offender who is hired. A federal bond program offers free insurance against losses up to $5,000 if the employee commits a crime his employer.

Hargrove said nearly one in three released prisoners in the Cumberland County area can't find work.

"They're suffering," he said. "With the economy and a felony on their record, they're getting a double whammy right now."

Hargrove, who is based in Wilson, said employment is the No. 1 factor that prevents former offenders from becoming repeat offenders. The cost of housing a prisoner is about $25,000, paid by taxpayers, he said.

Many prisoners are able to train and become highly skilled while incarcerated, he said.

"We're asking employers to look at it on a case-by-case basis," Hargrove said. "If they have the skills, they can be successful."

One of the employers who attended the meeting was James Lawson, manager of the Cumberland County Human Resources Department. Lawson said that since the economy went sour, it's common for job listings to attract 100 or more applications. In those cases, someone with a felony conviction is going to have a tough time landing a job, including in maintenance or custodial work. Professional-type jobs would be almost impossible to find, he said.

"In competitive situations, most of the time that ends up being an immediate disqualification," Lawson said. "Their education and experience would have to far exceed everyone else."

Statewide unemployment was 11 percent in June, and even higher in several counties across the Cape Fear region.

Lawson said the insurance policy offered by the federal government could boost the chances of hiring a felon, since it negates some of the risk.

Teresa Adams stood at the meeting and told the group how she had been arrested on drug and forgery charges, and how she's spent three years trying to put her life back together.

"I'm worth more than $7 an hour, but because I have a felony there's nothing I can do," Adams said. "McDonald's won't even hire me."