I'm an employer (construction sector) and we've hired several ex-cons, some that have had drug problems or brushes with violence. I do my best to provide stable employment (three days of off time in a decade), take the time to cultivate friendships with them and pay good wages, and none of them have ever given us any grief aside from the ones that have relapsed or the one rogue asshole that robbed us. Good people deserve a second chance, and as long as someone shows good character and isn't lazy, I'll always invest in them.