States, Advocates Push Beyond Ban-the-Box for Hiring Ex-Felons

Lawmakers’ efforts to boost the job prospects of people with criminal convictions have begun moving beyond widespread ban-the-box measures, as advocates push for broader fair-chance hiring laws and stronger enforcement by labor agencies.

Ban-the-box laws have been adopted in 17 states plus the District of Columbia, as well as 21 cities and counties. They prohibit public and private employers from inquiring about job applicants’ criminal histories on the initial job application, or sometimes until after the employer has conducted an interview or made a conditional offer of employment, with exceptions for law enforcement and other sensitive positions. Many more states ...