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…
Posts by Category: Criminal History Check
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…
Criminal Histories are no Longer an Automatic Bar to Employment in Illinois Schools
Effective July 29, 2016, HB 4360 revised Illinois law to eliminate what was otherwise considered a lifetime ban on employment for those individuals seeking work in schools who had been convicted of certain non-violent drug offenses. Specifically, the revised law…
Tompkins County Moves to ‘Ban the Box’
Tompkins County legislators unanimously voted to “ban the box,” joining a growing number of employers removing the criminal conviction question from job applications. Cornell University also moved to ban the box. Removing the box from applications does not…
Racial Profiling in Hiring: A Critique of New “Ban the Box” Studies
Two recent studies claim that “ban the box” policies enacted around the country detrimentally affect the employment of young men of color who do not have a conviction record. The nation cannot afford to turn back the clock on a decade of reform that has created…
Louisiana Legislature Passes New Law Dealing with Employment of Sex Offenders
The Louisiana Legislature has passed a bill that based on the belief that sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators pose a high risk of engaging in sex offenses and crimes against minors even after being released from incarceration. Two recent…
Portland’s Ban-the-Box Law Takes Effect, Administrative Rules Provide Clarity
Portland, Oregon’s ban-the-box law, the Removing Barriers to Employment Ordinance, took effect on July 1, 2016. The ordinance prohibits most Portland employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal history or conducting a background check on an applicant until…
Trends in the “Ban the Box” Movement: Recent Developments in City Ordinances
As cities across the nation adopt “ban the box” legislation that regulates private employers’ ability to inquire into applicants’ and employees’ criminal histories, employers face a nuanced gauntlet of compliance issues. Because of the current wave of ban the box…
University of Chicago Study Suggest that Ban-The-Box Has Unintended Consequences
Recently, many cities and stateshave passed “Ban-the-Box” (BTB) policies, which restrict employers from askingabout applicants’ criminal histories on job application forms. BTB is meant toopen doors to employment for people with criminal records and is oftenpresented…
Connecticut Joins Ban the Box Movement
Connecticut has joined the “Ban the Box” movement, becoming the most recent state in the nation to implement statewide legislation prohibiting employers from making inquiries into an applicant’s criminal history on job applications, except under certain circumstances….