The Question takes many forms:
Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?
Have you been convicted of a felony within the past 7 years?
The removal of these and similar questions from employment applications constitutes a huge step in support of successful prisoner reentry. Researchers have long pointed out the direct connection between more employment opportunities for persons with criminal backgrounds and less recidivism. Less recidivism, virtually everybody knows, provides much-needed budgetary relief to increasingly cash-strapped state and local governments. Less recidivism, too, leads to greater public safety, and stronger families and communities.
Considering the above, one would think the adoption of "Ban the Box" provisions a no-brainer. So, why did Governor Rell veto the measure in the first place? I won't attempt to speak to that. I will only say what I often do when blatantly unreasonable things happen: You can't make sense out of nonsense; nonsense means non-sense ... without sense.
Jurisdictions which have passed "Ban the Box" provisions include: Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota, the state of Minnesota, Cambridge and Worcester in Massachusetts, Baltimore, the city of Austin and Travis County in Texas, Berkeley and the city and county of Los Angeles, and Alameda County (the Oakland area) in California, Norwich, New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport in Connecticut (and now the state of Connecticut), Seattle, Providence in Rhode Island, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek in Michigan, Multnomah County (the Portland area) in Oregon, the city and county of Philadelphia, and Hawaii. Lawmakers in Detroit, Nebraska, and Ohio have proposed versions of the measure.
Related Links:
New State Initiatives Adopt Model Hiring Policies Reducing Barriers to Employment of People with Criminal Records
Major U.S. Cities and Counties Adopt Hiring Policies to Remove Unfair Barriers to Employment of People with Criminal Records
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