I'd say introduce him to a recruiter who has a lot of connections and can get something going for him. If that doesn't pan out, perhaps some biz owner here on HN might hire him.
The only hope, as the OP says, is to figure out a way to market a tech skill directly, or to start something on his own.
(I'd be ok with hiring someone with a manslaughter conviction or other thing if it were not calling character into question. Or, something like a principled hacking conviction would probably be ok in most roles, although clients often care about felony status.)
I disagree. The number of people willing to take a chance on a felon parolee might be small, but I know it's non-zero.