A $3.6 million verdict was won by a Florida man who was falsely identified twice by First Advantage Background Services as a man with the same birthdate, similar name and a violent criminal history. Richard Williams argued that when the company misidentified him as…
Posts by Category: Criminal History Check
Older Women Leaving Prison ‘Less Likely to Return to Crime’
A study supported by the National Institute of Justice revealed that the older a woman is upon release from prison, the more likely she is to re-integrate into civilian society and avoid recidivism. After examining the cases of 218 women released from prison in the…
Portland, Oregon, Issues Rules Implementing ‘Ban the Box’
In accordance with “Ban the Box” laws, Portland, Oregon, has issued an Ordinance that prohibits the use of background checks, criminal histories and self-disclosed information, when considering a new hire. Although certain employers are excluded, like…
Los Angeles Moves Toward Prohibiting Criminal Conviction Inquiry to Job Offer
The Los Angeles City Council’s Economic Development Committee recently joined the masses across the country by voting to eliminate the criminal history of a potential hire until after an initial job interview has been made. Those business located in the city…
Connecticut Becomes the Third Jurisdiction in 2016 to “Ban the Box”
Connecticut has joined Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and New York City in prohibiting the request of criminal history information on an initial employment application. It is recommended that employers conduct a broader assessment of their pre-employment screening…
CA Amends Labor Code to Prohibit Employers from Using Juvenile Records in Employment Decision
Effective Jan. 1, 2017, the governor of California signed a bill in September that amends the state’s Labor Code to prohibit employers from considering some juvenile records for employment purposes, including arrests that did not result in conviction, a referral…
Judge Approves Settlement in Landmark Criminal Records Case
People with arrest records, heavily African Americans and Latinos, have won a $15 million settlement in a case in which they were unable to obtain jobs as census takers due to alleged problems with the U.S. Census Bureau’s background check procedures. The…
Weigh the Risks and Rewards of Employing Job Seekers with Criminal Histories
Given a workforce facing unprecedented skills gaps and a country where tens of thousands of state and federal inmates are being released back into their communities every month, finding a way to integrate previously incarcerated persons into the workforce is a worthy…
Indiana Passes New Legislation Restricting Criminal History Information Reported in Background Checks
The EEOC’s April 25, 2012 updated enforcement guidance on the use of arrest and conviction records by employers has generated renewed and substantial interest in the controversial subject of criminal background checks in the context of Title VII of the Civil…
Background Screening Class Certified in Obsolete Information Case
On July 26, a Northern District of California judge certified a class of applicants who claimed that S2Verify, a background check company, included obsolete criminal information on their background reports in violation of the FCRA. In certifying the class, the Court…