Ban the Box
Encouraging Employers to Give a Fair Chance To Workers With Records
Ban the Box is an international campaign aiming to help ex-offenders get back into employment. Employers are encouraged to pro-actively remove the check box for criminal record from their application forms allowing ex-offenders to display their skills and qualification before being asked about their past. The idea behind the campaign is to give ex-offenders a chance to turn their lives around, find employment and discourage them from committing further offenses.
Ban the Box movement does not prevent employers from running background checks on applicants, instead it regulates at which point the applicant can be asked about their criminal history. This campaign is supported by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), which prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants based on their gender and nationality.
Ban the Box laws apply in a number of states and cities across the United States. For the list of locations visit National Employment Law Project website. Requirements can vary from one jurisdiction to another. You must check the laws for the state/city you are hiring in to comply with the correct requirements.
