Unemployed probationers and parolees who tested clean for drugs were allowed to apply for jobs during a time for chance foundation job fair for ex-inmates.

He couldn't have been more wrong. What he found were nine mostly local employers set up in the parking lot of Spirit of Love Church and close to 2,000 probationers and parolees waiting in a line that wrapped around the corner.

"It was sheer pandemonium. There was an air of hope and desperation. People were filling out applications on the backs of other people, hoods of cars, anyplace they could find to write."

By noon Glass had been waiting 3 hours, he was among a glut of job seekers who turned out for a job fair in which the one trait they have in common is typically the last thing they would put on their resumes: All of them have criminal histories.

"I paid my debt. I have a skill. I've been clean for five years," he said. Job seekers were required to take a drug test before they could start the application process.

"I want a second chance to work in my field, but no one will hire me. I made a mistake and got involved in drugs, but it shouldn't ruin my life," said Glass dressed in a white shirt and tie, clutching his tattered resume.

He was one of hundreds of unemployed ex-inmates turned away after organizers ran out of drug test kits and were forced to shut down two hours early.

"The need is huge. The turnout exceeded our expectation. We brought test kits for a thousand applicants. Close to two thousand people showed up..," said organizer Kim Carter, founder of the Time for Change Foundation. She scoffed at media claims that the job fair ‘stumbled' when it ran out of test kits.

An ex-inmate fills out an application for work during the Time for Change sponsored job fair.

She said organizers using city and county databases mailed 60,000 letters to potential employers hoping they would step to the line and hire an ex-inmate.

"We're disappointed that only nine employers set up booths but we're not giving up."

Bloomington Recycling came to the job fair looking to hire forklift operators, drivers and other laborers. Human resources representative Griselda Gonzalez stressed the importance of giving ex-inmates a second chance.

"This is a population of untapped resources. We feel if we offer ex-offenders a good opportunity, it makes for a safer and healthier community, and that makes us feel good too. If you don't have a job, you don't have much of a prayer of staying clean," said Gonzalez.

"I'm feeling very blessed," said Helen Johnson who landed a job as a braider for Clippers Family Cuts. "Now I can get my life back on track."

Tippy Gaines, a mother who earned her bachelor's degree in business while serving time for drug possession said big companies who use prison labor often restrict the recruitment of ex-offenders once they are released.

"AT&T, Victoria Secret, McDonalds, Revlon, Honda, Honeywell, Nordstrom's and Toys R' Us use prison slave labor to beef up their profits, but when these same people get out looking for a job paying real wages, they refuse to hire them," said Gaines.

In fact a 2005 U.S. Department of Labor survey of 160 U.S. business leaders found that only 21% would actively consider taking on ex-offenders as trainees, and only 7% would consider having a policy of recruiting ex-offenders as permanent staff.

 Glass forced to take minimum wage jobs since his release in 2006 sees a disconnect between ex-prisoners, employers and the local governments that willingly spend large chunks of their budgets on apprehending and incarcerating repeat offenders.

"On one hand many of these business leaders and cash strapped cities complain about recidivism all the while spending millions to keep people behind bars and pennies to create jobs. We want to work. We don't want to go back to prison," he said.

Volunteers announcing the event shut down offered hot dogs, chips and water. People like Sharon Whitfield pressed on handing out summaries of a recent Pew Foundation report showing more than one in every 100 adults in America is in jail or prison with California, Texas and Florida topping the list.

"We are the world's jailer." Whitfield shouted. "When we leave these prisons, we've got to eat. We've got to feed our families. We want jobs." The crowd broke into a loud chant "Jobs...Not Jail." 

Carter meanwhile mingled among the job seekers offering words of wisdom to keep the faith because she was once a parolee. 

"People will say you can't overcome. I say you can. It doesn't matter what you're going through, remember, it is just that, going through. If someone who has made a bad choice in their life and now has an EX on their back, it's just the beginning of a long journey back," Carter told applicants waiting to meet with prospective employers.

"You're sending a powerful message today: ‘Ex-offenders are not just sitting around committing crimes like they say you are. You want to work." The crowd cheered and dispersed with a promise that this job fair was just the beginning.