Tag Archives: Ban the Box

SUNY to Ban the Box for Criminal Convictions on Student Applications

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

The State University of New York (SUNY) – a system of public institutions of higher education in New York state – has voted to pass a Ban the Box resolution to adopt a policy that will eliminate questions about criminal records on applications filled out by students wishing to attend any of the SUNY schools in New York, according to a memorandum to Members of the SUNY Board of Trustees. The effective date of the SUNY Ban the Box policy will be July 1, 2017. Continue reading →

Sacramento CA May Ban the Box on Job Applications

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

The City of Sacramento, California is considering a law that may “Ban the Box” and prohibit private companies from receiving city contracts if they ask their workers whether or not they have a criminal conviction on job applications, according to a report from KCRA 3 News in Sacramento. Continue reading →

White House Announces New Round of Employers Taking Ban the Box Pledge

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

On August 16, 2016, the White House announced a new round of signers of the Obama administration’s Fair Chance Business Pledge that includes Walmart – the largest private employer in the world with 2.2 million employees – to bring the total number of companies and organizations pledging to “Ban the Box” and help job candidates with criminal histories to return to the workforce to 185 employers. Continue reading →

NELP Argues Studies Critical of Ban the Box Reach Wrong Conclusion

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

The National Employment Law Project (NELP) has released a policy brief – Racial Profiling in Hiring: A Critique of New “Ban the Box” Studies – critical of two studies that claim Ban the Box policies meant to help applicants with criminal records find work could do “more harm than good” by unintentionally harming minority job seekers. NELP believes these Ban the Box studies reach “the wrong conclusion.” Continue reading →

Research Suggests Ban the Box Policies May Unintentionally Harm Minority Job Seekers

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

Research on Ban the Box (BTB) policies issued in July 2016 suggests that jurisdictions in the United States that adopted Ban the Box policies preventing employers from conducting criminal background checks until late in the hiring process to improve employment opportunities for job seekers with criminal records and reduce racial disparities in the workforce may unintentionally harm minority applicants. Continue reading →

Tompkins County NY Votes to Ban the Box on Job Applications

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

In July of 2016, legislators in Tompkins County, New York unanimously voted to Ban the Box and remove the criminal conviction question from job applications and leave such inquiries for later in the hiring process after a conditional job offer is made by employers, according to a story in the Ithaca Journal. Continue reading →

Course Teaches Employers How to Properly Use Criminal Records for Background Checks

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

Attorney Lester Rosen, founder and CEO of Employment Screening Resources® (ESR), will teach a course with Compliance World entitled “Employers – Your Use of Criminal Records Could Get You Sued” on Thursday, July 28, 2016, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT. To register for this event, which is approved for 1.50 HR Certification Institute (HRCI) credits, click here. Continue reading →

Broward County FL Votes to Ban the Box on Government Employment Applications

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

The Broward County (FL) Commission has unanimously voted to “Ban the Box” and remove the check box on initial government employment applications that asks about job applicants about their past criminal record, according to a news release on the Commission’s website. Continue reading →

Two Studies Claim Ban the Box Policies May Have Unintended Consequences

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

Two studies on “Ban the Box” policies that prevent employers from asking job applicants if they have a criminal record on initial applications – one by The Brookings Institution and the other by the University of Chicago – claim that these well intentioned laws meant to help ex-offenders re-enter the workforce may have the unintended consequence of causing more harm than good for minority job seekers. Continue reading →

Louisiana Ban the Box Law Takes Effect August 1

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Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has signed House Bill 266 (HB266) into law to “Ban the Box” on some state job applications by removing the question asking applicants about their criminal history to help give them a fair chance at employment. This new Ban the Box law will take effect August 1, 2016. Continue reading →