Does 'Ban the Box' Help or Hurt Low-Skilled Workers

摘要

A person who can't get a job upon release from prison is more likely to break the law again. But employers don't want to hire ex-offenders -- particularly those released recently -- because as a group they are less prepared for work life, in worse health, and more likely to misbehave than non-offenders. One proposed way to help ex-offenders find employment and thereby reduce recidivism is "ban the box" (BTB) legislation that forbids employers from including a criminal-record check box on job applications. Because blacks and Hispanics are significantly more likely than whites to be incarcerated during their lifetimes, some BTB proponents claim that this legislation will also reduce racial disparities in employment.