As the nation’s leaders come together on criminal justice reforms that they hope will reduce the U.S. inmate population and the harshness of criminal penalties, advocates for the formerly incarcerated want to discourage public and private employers from using criminal records to weed out job applicants. Many employers generally support the idea, but said they are wary of labor regulations that might increase the risk of lawsuits even when they’ve appropriately rejected someone based on their work experience. However, employers’ commitment to hiring formerly incarcerated people will soon be tested amid a federal push to reduce the country’s inmate population. The Justice Department announced plans to release 6,000 inmates, the largest one-time release of federal prisoners in history.

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