Formerly incarcerated resident urges Cuyahoga County Council to help returning citizens find work

Kenneth de France Griffin, a man recently released from prison, told the Cuyahoga County Council on Tuesday that he faces barriers to employment despite completing a reentry program and now holding steady work.

Griffin said he served 33 years for murder and has been home eight months. "I was strung out on PCP, and I killed a young man. And I paid for that," he said. He described repeatedly losing job opportunities after disclosing his conviction: "Everywhere I went to sign up for a job, they turned me down" and employers told him "they couldn't use me" when he disclosed his incarceration.

The comment came during the council’s public-comment period. Griffin said he now works for a cleaning company, LOTP, and at Norman Noble in Highland Heights, earning "over a grand a week," and credited completing a CEO program with helping his reentry. He said he wants to return to correctional facilities to speak with men preparing for release "to let guys know" that having a support team matters and to help them find employment.

Why it matters: Employment is a primary factor in successful reentry and reducing recidivism. Griffin framed his request as a practical appeal for support and opportunities for people leaving prison, drawing a direct line between training, employer willingness to hire, and community safety.

Griffin did not identify a specific county program or request a specific funding amount. He asked the council for help in arranging access to prisons so he could mentor those returning to the community. No council response or formal direction to staff was recorded in the transcript; the public comment period concluded after his remarks.

The meeting then proceeded to business on the agenda, including an announced executive session later in the hour.