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newyorktrendnyc.com VOLUME 26 ISSUE 37
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PRESIDENT OBAMA WINS ‘BAN THE BOX’ LEGISLATION Jersey Chamber of Commerce, which says it could expose employers to lawsuits from unsuccessful applicants.
Bread for the World applauds President Obama’s decision to prohibit federal agencies from asking prospective government employees at the start of the hiring process about their criminal histories on job applications. Often called “ban the box,” the process refers to the checkbox on employment applications asking if the individual has ever been convicted of a crime. Bread for the World believes that reforming our country’s mass incarceration policies and practices is crucial to ending hunger and poverty. Individuals leaving prison or with a criminal record are much more likely to experience poverty and food insecurity, partly because of the huge obstacles they encounter in finding work. Ban the Box is the name of an international campaign by civil rights groups and advocates for ex-offenders, aimed at persuading employers to remove from their hiring applications the check box that asks if applicants have a criminal record. Its purpose is to enable ex-offenders to display their qualifications in the hiring process before being asked about their criminal records. The premise of the campaign is that anything that makes it harder for ex-offenders to find a job makes it likelier that they will re-offend, which is bad for society. The campaign began in Hawaii in the late 1990s, and has
President Obama speaks at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Okla., in July as part of a weeklong focus on inequities in the criminal justice system. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
“Reforming our criminal justice system is essential to alleviating hunger and poverty in our country.” gained strength in other U.S. states following the 2007-2009 recession. Its advocates say it is necessary because a growing number of Americans have criminal records due to tougher sentencing laws particularly for drug crimes, and are having difficulty finding work because of high unemployment and a rise in background checks that followed the September 11 terror attacks on the United States. As of July 2015, 52 U.S. municipalities and 17 states had in place legislation that “banned the box” for government job applications and also in some
cases those of their private contractors. Many such ordinances exempt applications for “sensitive” positions, such as those involving work with children. Target Corporation “banned the box” in October 2013. In the United Kingdom, corporate social responsibility advocacy charity Business in the Community launched a “ban the box” campaign in October 2013. The campaign has been criticized by U.S. industry group the National Retail Federation for exposing companies, their customers and employees to potential crime, and by the New
For example, Congress is currently considering the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (S. 2123). The bipartisan bill reduces mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenses, includes prison reforms, promotes programming for individuals currently incarcerated, and gives judges more flexibility when handing down sentences. “We thank President Obama for taking action to reduce the barriers to employment people face when returning from prison,” said Eric Mitchell, director of government relations at Bread for the World. “When people can’t work, they can’t eat. Right now, too many people aren’t hired because of a past criminal record. The president’s action is a major step that will improve people’s ability to access employment and put food on the table, that will help alleviate hunger for people across this country. But there is much more work to do.” “While this bill won’t solve all the problems with our current criminal justice system, it represents a critical first step,” Mitchell added. “Reforming our criminal justice system is essential to alleviating hunger and poverty in our country.”
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