I don't know exactly what happened with this kid but maybe you should do some research and write an article about the struggles of convicts trying to be productive members of society.  Just because someone is convicted of a crime doesn't mean they deserve it and sometimes they aren't even guilty.  Full disclaimer I know felons who fall into both categories.  I am also not saying every felon deserves a second chance but for the ones who are redeemable and are trying to live a small normal life, we should let them.  Instead though we punish them forever by not letting them have the ability to get a career or decent job,(sometimes they can't get a job at all) and housing.  Little experiment, try to find housing while pretending to be a felon, you can't.  In order to help them find housing we have to find properties managed by the owners, not property management groups, and try to skirt around the fact they are felons.  Society just really wants felons to be homeless, jobless and hopeless.