~ What is a Fair Chance hiring policy?
- It removes questions about criminal history information from an initial job application
- Delays criminal history inquiry until later in the hiring process
- Ensures job seekers have an opportunity to be considered for their skill and qualifications
- More clearly abides to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines for hiring practices
~What is it not?
- Completely disregarding a potential employee’s criminal background
- An act of charity
- Asking employers to hire unqualified employees
- Asking employers to put their business at risk
~ Why is a Fair Chance hiring policy needed?
- Many people have a criminal history
- Nearly 1 in 3 Americans have some kind of a criminal record
- Over 14 million arrests are made every year
- 1 in 15 Americans will be in the prison system sometime in their lifetime
- Nearly 12 million Texans have a criminal record, or more than 4 out of 10 people
- Employers don’t always fairly consider applicants with a criminal record
- About 92% of employers inquire about the criminal histories of prospective employees
- A criminal record reduces the likelihood of a job callback or offer by almost 50%
- If hiring discrimination takes place, it is most likely (76%) to take place at the first interaction: the submission of a job application
- Unemployment is a major barrier for returning citizens reintegrating into society
- Employment greatly reduces the risk of recidivism
~ Why Would This Policy be Good for Lubbock?
Employment of people with criminal records increases the overall well-being of families:
- In the year after an incarcerated father is released, the total family income drops by approximately 15% from what it was before the father’s incarceration
- 83% of the families of formerly incarcerated men provide financial assistance to these men
- 50% of these families view this assistance as a “financial challenge” and 30% of families view it as a “financial hardship”
Employment of people with criminal records increases the overall economic well-being of
communities
- An economic study showed that because those with felony records and the formerly incarcerated have poor job prospects in the labor market, the nation’s gross domestic product in 2008 was reduced by $57 to $65 billion
- In Texas, the average annual cost per inmate is $21,39012
- A Washington State analysis found that providing job training and employment to a formerly incarcerated person returned more than $2,600 to taxpayers
Putting just 100 formerly incarcerated persons back to work would:
- Increase their lifetime earnings by $55 million
- Increase their income tax contributions by $1.9 million
- Boost sales tax revenues by $770,000
- Save tax payers $2 million annually by keeping them out of the criminal justice system
~ Where else is the Fair Chance movement?
- Over 150 cities and counties nationwide
- 29 states representing every region of the U.S.
- 10 of these states and fourteen cities and counties extend their fair chance hiring policies to local private employers
- See the National Employment Law Project website www.nelp.org for up-to-date information and statistics