Pennsylvania employers must navigate strict rules when using criminal background checks, balancing workplace safety with fair hiring laws. State requirements limit how convictions may be considered, mandate compliance with the Clean Slate Law, local ban-the-box…
Posts by Category: Criminal History Check
EMS Company Says Background Check Didn’t Reveal Nathan Mitchell’s Past Trouble
Quality EMS leaders said former EMT Nathan Mitchell, now accused of sexually abusing four boys, passed all required background and child abuse checks under his legal name. Investigators later learned he previously faced child-related charges in California under…
Opexus Claims Background Checks Missed Red Flags on Twins Accused of Insider Breach
Federal contractor Opexus acknowledged shortcomings in its hiring and termination processes after employing twins Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, who had prior federal fraud and hacking convictions. Although the brothers passed standard background checks, Opexus later fired…
Misappropriation of Funds Exclusion Bars Coverage for a Negligent Background Check that Led to Hiring of Embezzler
A California federal court ruled that an E&O insurance policy’s misappropriation-of-funds exclusion barred coverage for a company sued over a negligent background check that failed to reveal a candidate’s criminal history. The employee subsequently embezzled over…
California Civil Rights Department (CRD) Ramps Up Enforcement of the California Fair Chance Act (CFCA)
The California Fair Chance Act (CFCA) limits how employers can use criminal records in hiring, banning pre-offer inquiries and restricting consideration of arrests, sealed, or expunged convictions. Post-offer, employers must conduct individualized assessments, provide…
City Council Approves Additional Hiring Protections for Jobseekers with Criminal Records
Philadelphia has strengthened its Fair Chance Hiring Law, giving thousands of jobseekers with criminal records greater protections. Employers can no longer reject candidates based on self-conducted criminal history searches or third-party reports unless the conviction…
Revisiting the Unintended Consequences of Ban the Box
Reexamining Ban-the-Box (BTB) policies shows their effects on minority men’s employment are less clear than previously reported. Correcting coding errors in prior research reveals that estimates differ by dataset: the Current Population Survey (CPS) suggests negative…
California Civil Rights Department (CRD) Ramps Up Enforcement of the California Fair Chance Act (FCRA)
The California Civil Rights Department has intensified enforcement of the Fair Chance Act, which restricts howemployers use conviction history in hiring. Employers cannot ask about or consider criminal records before offering aconditional job offer; after that,…
County Ordinance Protects Ex-Convicts Trying to Find Jobs
San Diego County enhanced the “Fair Chance Act” with a “Fair Chance Ordinance” effective October 2024. It forbidsrequesting conviction history before job offers, adds local enforcement, employer education, and penalties—$5,000 forfirst violations and $20,000 for…
Washington Further Limits Criminal Background Checks in the Workplace: An Employer’s Guide and Compliance Action Plan
Washington’s HB 1747, effective July 1, 2026, for employers with 15+ employees, prohibits criminal backgroundchecks before a conditional job offer. Employers must not rescind offers based on arrest or juvenile records and mustassess adult convictions with a legitimate…



