An impediment to employment -- ban the box

[TexasTowelie]

ALBUQUERQUE -- Frank Dominguez, 54, has spent nearly half of his life in and out of prisons for various drug-related offenses.

A native of Carlsbad, he had little luck finding a job.

“When you live in a small town, everybody knows everybody, and people don’t want to hire you because they think you’re the same and are never going to change,” he said.

-snip-

From Dominguez’s point of view, part of the problem for him and other ex-cons is that private sector job applications nearly always have a box to check if the applicant ever has been arrested and convicted of a felony or has been incarcerated. Checking that box often means the application will be dismissed outright.

That’s why a “ban the box” campaign has been gaining momentum nationally in recent years.

Read more: http://www.abqjournal.com/632976/biz/an-impediment-to-employment.html

Cross-posted in Omaha Steve's Labor Group.

[Android3.14]

1. It's not about the nail...err...felony

I understand and sympathize with the sentiment of the OP, but have to disagree.

If a person is a felon, then they must face the consequences of their decisions, and business owners need to know if a possible employee is more of a potential threat to the business than otherwise.

[left-of-center2012]

2. What about background checks?

Many employers and landlords now do background checks.
Would you ban those as well?