My snotty remarks aside, I think it sounds like a great idea. I'm all for workers being treated like human beings, and I'm even more for people being given a shot at redemption.

However, having worked in Chicago for a church that ran a homeless shelter/soup kitchen, and having taught for the last seven years in South Central Los Angeles, I can say from experience that what you propose is bound to be a difficult undertaking.

What I'm about to say may rankle some, but it's based on direct observation, and it's certainly not meant to be condescending or a blanket condemnation.

Speaking with people at my school who study such things have said that, by and large, the mindset of the middle class is to delay gratification, while the mindset of the poor is to look for immediate gratification. That is to say, the people who can least afford to be careless with finances/personal responsibilities are the most likely make careless choices. It kinda boils down to this: what will make me happy right now? Buy a new Playstation or pay the water bill? Go to work now or get high and go later? Take my kid to visit grandma and miss two weeks of school or cut the visit short?

The most important things you'll have to teach are things that most working adults do without thinking: showing up on time, not getting high on lunch break, and taking responsibility when you screw up.

Again, my intention is not to offend, but to share what I’ve observed. All that said, I have my fingers crossed for you, Raphael.

Steve