The Birth Of Beyond The Conviction

Beyond the Conviction was founded in November 2006 by Patrick Danley, a former drug trafficker.

Danley, who graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies, has a background that dates back to his teenage years.

"I've been in the drug game for my whole life," Danley said. "My father was a kingpin who grew weed in the front yard."

Danley says he followed in his father's footsteps, selling and trafficking marijuana through a rental car business he operated while attending Lincoln University.

After graduating, Danley continued trafficking and later served six months in prison after being caught with several pounds of marijuana in Texas. Because he wasn't a violent offender, Danley was released in six months as part of Texas' Second Chance program.

The program stipulated that he could never return to Texas, so he moved to El Carte, Ind., with a white Buick and $1,200 in his pocket.

While in El Carte, Danley worked odd jobs and eventually earned a position as a job coach for ex-offenders and people with disabilities. He was later promoted to employment specialist.

He eventually moved back to Kansas City and obtained a position with IAM Cares, a vocational rehabilitation program. He was later terminated after they learned of his criminal history.

"I got my first letter . . . you have a felony conviction," Danley said.

That led him to search for jobs that would not dwell on his criminal history - barbering and personal training. He also continued to sell marijuana on the side.

While conducting a drug transaction at a local festival, Danley came across a booth for the Full Employment Council and was later hired as a job counselor.

"In 2001, I started as a career counselor," he said. "They were giving me the worst people. A hermaphrodite who bought real estate as a man and sold it to himself as a woman….women with 10 kids who wanted to be models. I was able to give them tangible tools to get them a job or certificate."

Danley decided to leave FEC. His job contacts, coupled with his relationships with other agencies, helped him create Beyond the Conviction.

While placing ex-offenders in jobs is his main motivation, Danley says he adds a more personal approach absent from other programs.

"We've all been there," Danley says about his staff. "A lot of staff (at other staffing agencies) don't realize what it's like being in jail. The jails are releasing people at a sporadic rate with no job training. We do ala carte servicing."

That ala carte servicing includes transportation assistance, an explanation letter which clients provide to potential employers explaining their conviction and a computer diskette with 1,500 ex-offender friendly companies.

All those things make the difference, according to members of the staff.

"Some of the stuff I kind of new but there were a lot of things I didn't know," said Director of Operations Don Anthony Bell Johnson, who recently secured a grant to start his own business. "What helped me basically was the job search techniques, the questions in response for what to actually look for. He told me how to look exactly at the application and go through it. I knew this before but it's like something that you just kind of take for granted."