Ban the Box 1
Convicted Felon VS. Employment Stigma
Ban the Box for Felons
Dexter Anderson
Eng 325 Intermediate Composition
Instructor: Amy Hartmann
October 18, 2010
Ban the Box 2
This paper is based on the stigma that employers have about employing a convicted felon in the work place. The discrimination and confusion that come with checking the box; that states have you been convicted of a felony. How long is long enough, so that the box does not matter, its own the way.
I am taking the position as an arbitrator, between convicted felon and employers. The problem that is at hand is, that convicted felon applying for employment, and having to check the boxes that states have you been convicted of a felony. In the past felony conviction has hinder many of people from getting jobs or interviews. I understand that this problem is larger than just employment, thing like racism, discrimination and stereotyping. These things happen all behind the box that’s on the application that asks “have you ever been convicted of a felony? A convicted felon that checks the box has almost no chance of gaining employment. I see that in many cases where former prisoners find their way back into the system. In a article “Ban the box, hire Fairly” from the Ann Arbor Chronicle “In 2008, approximately 12,500 citizens returned from prison to the communities of Michigan. Within two years nearly half of them return to prison” according to (Jason Smith) of the chronicle. Law makers feel that by having convicted felon to check the box of have you been convicted of a felony, that they can the threat of any criminal activity. (Jason Smith) states and “research by the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute has shown that a principal factor in such high recidivism is a lack of employment opportunities. It is not a lack of adequate qualifications, but rather the social stigma surrounding a felony conviction that prevents many ex-prisoners from landing a job and the lack of a job that leads them to offend again”. We have different programs from social service that can assist ex-offenders in finding housing, accessing mental/ physical health treatment, and job readiness training. The matter is that “employers must ultimately step up and give all qualified individuals a fair opportunity for jobs if ex- prisoners are to have a fair chance to become stable providers for themselves and their families.
Ban the Box 3
There are some things that’s being done in some states. In the state of Michigan “the city of Battle Creek adopted an ordinance in June 2008 that banned the box for its own hiring procedures. Battle Creek’s ordinance also requires a similar hiring practice of vendors who have contracts with the city. In the month of January 2010 the city of Kalamazoo announced that it would no longer ask about prior criminal history on its applications for employment.
Another article in the state of Minnesota the first state to press the bill to ban the box on job applications, “State Representative Bobby Champion’s bill addressing employment barriers to people who have criminal records was signed into law Monday, May 11, by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. One of the provisions require all Minnesota public employers to wait until a job applicant has been selected for an interview before asking about criminal records or conducting a criminal record check, except for positions that already require a background check.
Since the passing of the Bill in Minnesota, Connecticut has become the fourth state to pass this Bill into law. Also 21 other cities including Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, New Haven, and Hartford in Connecticut have banned the conviction question.
I feel that with that type of question box employment is very hard for convicted felons. This box cause more problems than not getting jobs. Others are unemployment rates going up, employment rates are down, and the ultimate crime rates are off the charts. “The cost for housing a felon is $32,000 a year to house an inmate”. Quoted by the State Attorney’s Offices in Panama City, Florida. There are over 80 million convicted felons in this country, that’s sad to say. Why convicted felon has to be discriminated upon, because of their past.
Ban the Box 4
On the flip side of allowing felons to not check the box most employers feel that once you have been convicted you will always be a criminal and you never change your ways. I personally feel if God would have held that type of feeling about Paul and David. But, God used bad boys to do a great work for mankind
I look at the state that I live in which is Florida, we have 69 counties in this state but we have over 600 State Facilities to house felons. We are talking 9 facilities per county that is unheard of in most states.
Back to banning the box, I feel in most states there will be a ban on the box bill, it will help the country unemployment problem and the economy will profit from the money that would have to be paid to all new employees. It has been proven that if convicted felons get the chance to work most of them are working to take care of families.
In closing, I take the position as arbitrator in the views of convicted felons versus Employment stigma, by banning the box that stares have asking if you have been convicted of a felony. It is time for a change a right for felons.
Ban the Box 5
Reference Page
Smith, J.A. (2010) The Ann Arber Chronicle. Ban the Box, Hire Fairly. Retrieved October 18, 2010,
Champion, B.J. (Champion’s Ban the Box bill signed into law. Retrieved October 18, 2010, From
http://insightnews.com/news/4361-champions-qban-the-boxq-bill -signed-into-law
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