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Mario Salas vividly recalls the day his boss handed him the keys to a client's car. At 32, it was the first time he felt someone trusted him.

After two stints in prison for armed robbery, getting through a job interview — never mind getting hired — seemed impossible.

"It was hard for me to get a job. It made me lose hope," Salas said. "I'm a very nice person, but on paper I scare people."

Despite Arizona's historically low unemployment rate, few employers risk hiring former prisoners. But they may have to get used to the idea, because low unemployment is forecast years into the future, and having a job is key to keeping ex-cons out of prison.

Tucson businessman Julian Mendez grasps that.

A former gang member, Mendez, 39, spent his youth in and out of trouble with the law.

Today, the owner of Good Fellas Detail Shop, 4517 E. 22nd St., makes it a point to hire guys like Salas and help keep them straight. Five of his employees are either former prisoners or former gang members.

"A lot of people don't understand these guys," Mendez said. "Sometimes people just need a second chance . . . even a third chance."

Experts say that in Arizona's tight labor market, people like Salas are among the only ones having trouble finding a job. The state's unemployment rate — at around 4 percent — is the lowest since 1969, and, though the economy may turn down in the next year or two, state economists project continuing low unemployment over the long term.

Yet it's difficult for employers to see past the tattoos and rap sheets, said Jim Mize, manager of employer outreach at Pima County One Stop, a work-force-development center.

Each day, the center sees ex-cons seeking work, he said.

Because they usually have an extended gap in work experience, they receive training and also get interviewing tips.

"We try to put the person in a position to sell the skills set they have and not dwell on the issues that got them in prison," Mize said.

Nearly 650,000 people are released from state and federal prisons each year, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Approximately two out of every three people released from prison nationwide are re-arrested within three years; 90 percent are unemployed, says the Prisoner Reentry Partnership Program in Tucson.

Given the current employment crunch, Mize said business owners are eyeing this labor pool, which they might never have considered in the past.

Business owners such as Mendez could encourage that attitude, Mize said.

"What he's basically done is show everybody that these guys have paid their dues and are ready to move on," Mize said. "They've got more to lose if they don't do their jobs."

Salas, who has been out of prison for a year, trains other Good Fellas employees on the finer points of detailing a vehicle. He decides who gets to drive a car back and forth from dealerships and auctions.

The first time Mendez handed over car keys to Salas was a milestone moment. Now he returns the favor.

"When I tell one of the guys, 'Here's the keys,' they look at me like, 'Really?' " Salas said. "'Yes!' I tell them. 'Take the car.' They appreciate the trust and the respect because they know we've been there."

In and out of jail on drug and weapons charges, Daniel Gonzales, 25, was living in his car because he was unable to find steady work.

Job interviews were a source of angst.

"I'd walk out of there knowing this guy's not going to call me," Gonzales said. Four months ago, he walked into Mendez's shop and asked for a job.

"It's such a good feeling to know you're going to get a paycheck," he said. "I can't explain it."

Deddrick Jones can.

"If I need to put diapers on my daughter, I can go out and buy them," said Jones, 28. "I don't have to go out and get them illegally."

Working at Good Fellas for two months has helped Jones stop using drugs, which landed him in jail multiple times.

"I haven't smoked bud since I've been here," he said with a big smile. "And I don't look over my shoulder every day, looking to see if the police are watching me. It's all good."

Lessons are taught and learned every day at Good Fellas, said Mendez, who along with his wife, Soraya, is involved in Victory Outreach and worked as a missionary in Brazil.

He said they don't think about the risk of hiring ex-cons.

"They have stolen from me," Mendez said. "A job is one thing, but living the right life is another."

Recently, someone swiped a car stereo from the shop. Mendez called a staff meeting and announced the theft, offered his forgiveness to whoever had taken the stereo and urged the person to come forward.

"The guy came clean," Mendez said proudly. "I know people think, 'How can you work with these guys?' You see, things can be replaced, but there's bigger lessons to be learned."

His employees earn $25 to $35 per vehicle they detail. Mendez hopes to open a second Tucson location next year.

Customers include area dealerships and "regulars" who have heard of Mendez's shop, or like its name.

"I decided to call it Good Fellas," he said, "because we're not bad fellas anymore."