Editorial: A tiny box can unfairly slam doors on ex-offenders
Nearly 1.3 million people in Michigan -- one in six adults -- have felony convictions that leave them at a lifelong disadvantage when it comes to finding jobs and housing or getting an education.This week in Lansing, one of dozens of groups around the country fighting discrimination against people with criminal records -- the Fair Chance Coalition to Ban the Box -- will launch new efforts to remove criminal record disclosures on application forms in the state.
Fair Chance wants Michigan to remove the felony conviction box from state application forms. The group also plans to push legislation that would require private employers to remove it. "We're not asking anyone to hire (ex-felons)," said campaign director Monica Jahner. "It's about giving them the opportunity to interview with the employer, sell themselves and tell their own story." New rules would not apply to jobs for which those with felony convictions are ineligible by state or federal law.
That makes sense.
Blanket prohibitions imposed on ex-offenders run counter to Michigan's official policy of helping ex-prisoners return to the workforce. Whether or not they include prison or jail time, criminal convictions restrict where people can live or go to school, what professions they can enter and, most pointedly, whether an employer will hire them. These barriers actually encourage criminal activity by preventing ex-offenders from re-entering the economic mainstream.
An estimated 65 million Americans have criminal records. Over the last two decades, the percentage of employers screening for such records has grown from an estimated 20% to more than 90%. In the information age, those records are increasingly easy for anyone with a computer to access.
Only about one in five people with a felony conviction go to prison, with others serving probationary sentences or short stints in county jails. Still, many employers refuse to interview otherwise qualified applicants with even a misdemeanor conviction in their past.
The limitations placed on employers under ban-the-box initiatives are minimal. Employers can legally reject applicants based on a criminal record. Moreover, criminal records are easy enough to find today without requiring applicants to check a box.
Still, ban-the-box initiatives have enormous educational value and send a powerful message to employers, many of whom currently won't consider hiring an applicant with a criminal conviction. That places an unfair burden on many citizens who have completed their punishments, and the rest of us pay a cost when ex-cons can't support themselves through legitimate means.
California, Minnesota and New Mexico have already removed the question from state job applications; dozens of large cities have banned the box for city jobs. Massachusetts allows background checks only after an applicant is deemed qualified for the job.
In Michigan, Battle Creek has been a leader, enacting an ordinance in 2008 that generally prohibits city contractors from having a blanket ban on hiring people with felony records. In 2010, the Detroit City Council removed questions about felonies from applications for city jobs.
Encouraging employers and local governments to give people with criminal records a second chance is good public policy. The state can do that by removing questions about felony records from its application forms.
I have been helping ex-offenders and felons get jobs for over ten years and I feel I have an understanding of what works. I will be updating this blog often. I will answer specific questions relating to getting a job with a criminal record on this blog so feel free to send me your questions. You can send email me at adogzheart2@gmail.com
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