Tell Nebraska Legislators to Ban the Box

Imagine that you're applying for a job you're wholly qualified for. You've got all the talent, and the right experience, too. Except for one thing: you also made a mistake decades ago, which sent you for a brief time into prison.

That's the situation that millions of Americans face every day — struggling to find gainful employment long after they've paid for their crimes. Once an individual's prison sentence or probation period is over, they deserve the chance to become productive, employed members of society, right?

Unfortunately, across the country, we continue to treat them like second-class citizens. All because of a simple box on most job applications, which effectively eliminates people with criminal convictions from the applicant pool: "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"

Fortunately, a movement to "ban the box" is growing. Already, Hawaii, Minnesota and New Mexico have passed legislation to strike such a question. Massachusetts legislators have already passed a similar bill; it awaits the Governor's signature.

And now, Nebraska is poised to become the next state to eliminate that question from the initial job screening process. Will you take a moment to urge legislators to join the growing reform movement?

Bills like Nevada's are especially key because access to employment is fundamental to fighting recidivism. Every year, nearly 10 million people are released from jails and prisons around the country. Many people exit the prison system prepared to work hard and clean up their lives, but if they can't find a job, they're far more likely to fall back into a life of crime.

The  legislation introduced by Nebraska State Senator Brenda Council would ensure that a person's application wouldn't immediately be tossed aside, no matter their criminal history. It would ban employers from asking about an individual's criminal convictions during the initial applicant screening process. Though the bill only applies to public employment, it would pave the way for private companies to also join the cause.

If Nevada passes the measure, it will join a number of cities across the country who've also moved to "ban the box." Most of such laws simply delay questions about criminal convictions until the interview process, or until a conditional job offer is on the table. Accordingly, they allow the employer to get to know the applicant, their qualifications and qualities, prior to learning about a past conviction that may — or more likely, may not — be a deal-breaker.

Despite what opponents say, banning the box isn't about forgetting past wrongs or being easy on crime. Employers would still be able to perform criminal history checks — they'd just occur later in the process. For men and women trying to rebuild their lives, a proposed law like Nebraska's can mean a difference between providing for their family and returning to prison on the taxpayer's dime. Wouldn't we rather remove the barriers that keep them from maintaining a crime-free life?

Photo Credit: Daquella Manera