Tallahassee FL Votes to Ban the Box

Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

The City Commission of Tallahassee, Florida has voted 3-2 to support a “Ban the Box” measure that will remove the question asking people who apply for jobs with the city if they have had a criminal conviction from applications, according to a report from the Tallahassee Democrat.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that under the Ban the Box measure – which should take effect “sometime in March” – job applicants for the city would not have to disclose criminal histories up front but would still undergo a through a criminal background check before being hired.

The City of Tallahassee conducted 816 criminal background checks in 2014 and found that – excluding public safety jobs – 15 percent of applicants had criminal histories. Only 4 percent of those applicants were denied based on the nature of the jobs, The Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Tallahassee now joins the growing Ban the Box movement that is rapidly spreading across the United States. According to a report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), Ban the Box reforms exist in nearly 100 cities and counties as well as 13 states in America.

Ban the Box topped the list of Top Ten Background Check Trends for 2015 selected by Attorney Lester Rosen, Founder and CEO of Employment Screening Resources® (ESR). The complete list of trends is available at https://www.esrcheck.com/ESR-Top-Ten-Background-Check-Trends.

More Ban the Box Information from ESR

Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority®’ – offers a Ban the Box Information Page with links to news and resources about the Ban the Box movement. For more information about Ban the Box, please visit https://www.esrcheck.com/Ban-the-Box/.