Convicted felons looking for another shot at living a better life had an opportunity to get new jobs at the first-ever Convicted Felons Expo in Whitehaven Saturday.
Candidates like Kris McNickens went to the expo, not just looking for jobs, but for another chance.
"It's a difference in what society says that people with felonies don't want jobs and everybody want to sit around," McNickens said.
For the past 14 years, McNickens has been on the hunt for a steady job, keeping his nose clean. Though he’s been free for over a decade, finding a steady income hasn’t been easy.
“I paid my time. Just like a bad debt. After seven years, I think it should be washed away,” McNickens said.
Years ago, McNickens sat on death row, accused of murder charges that he told FOX13 were later dropped. Now, he is hoping for a new start.
“I was just facing life,” he said. “I was there doing time by myself and I was just dealing with it.”
Now, he hopes more than before – for a better tomorrow.
"If god tell me to come here today, that’s what I'm going to do. Because I'm not going to turn it down because it just may not be my time. But I’ll keep looking because I have to take care of my family. I gotta take care of me. So I'm still looking,” he said.
Hundreds of job-seekers made it out to the Whitehaven Community Center to find jobs.