WRITTEN BY
Ending the stigma.
Kevin Ballou ILLUSTRATED BY
Sophia Pierce
31 | VINDICATOR
What is Ban the Box?
Why?
A box by nature is limiting — everyone under-
“Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense?”
stands this and wants to gain freedom. There is
and “Have you ever been suspended or expelled
even the common colloquialism individuals say
from a school?” are questions that are often on
when brainstorming: “Think outside the box.”
applications, and they serve no means of safety.
Well, for a growing portion of the population, box-
The questions further stigmatize and discriminate
es have become symbols of stigma and continual
against people with previous legal records. If the
punishment. Ban the Box is the fight to get rid of
true goal of the American Legal System is to cre-
the “Have you ever been convicted of a criminal of-
ate a safe and flourishing society for all, then we
fense?” question from applications. The campaign
should not continue to punish individuals based on
slogan, unfortunately, has become a familiar term
decisions of the past.
and gained national recognition amongst policy-
Sheer numbers alone show that the United States
makers, criminal justice educators and communi-
has an incredibly unjust legal system. America holds
ty activists and organizers alike. More commonly,
roughly five percent of the worlds’ human population
the term and campaign are used to rid the question
and 25 percent of the worlds’ prison population.
from employment applications. In our cause, we
With nearly 6.6 million people in prison, jail or on
the Cleveland State University chapter of the Ohio
some form of community control, it is safe to say
Student Association are pushing for the removal of
that our current state of mass incarceration has
the box from the student application at CSU.
become a social disaster and crisis.