Hiring a an employee with a criminal history isn’t what most businesses set out to do. In fact, most companies would prefer to hire people who will be soon nominated for sainthood. This leaves candidates with a criminal record out. Employers need to keep in mind, that many saints (and your top performing employees) have checkered pasts. Here’s what you need to know about hiring employees with a criminal history.

Ban the Box!

Most job applications have a box that applicants check off to say whether or not they have any felony or misdemeanor convictions. Did you know that more and more states and cities have passed “ban-the-box” laws? Additional states have “fair chance” legislation, which means you can’t ask the applicant about convictions on a job application.

As a general rule, ban the box means that you can’t ask about any convictions until you get to the job offer stage of the selection process.

The state has a vested interest in getting people with a criminal history working. Having a job reduces the chance of recidivism.

But the other reason for ban the box laws is to stop discrimination against race. However, research has shown that this may not be working as desired.  Since employers can’t ask about criminal history, unfortunately they are less likely to interview African American and Hispanic candidates.

Researchers looked at low-skilled men between the ages of 25 to 34. They determined in ban the box areas, employers are less likely to interview young, low-skilled black men because those groups are more likely to include ex-offenders. They instead focus on hiring groups made up of men they believe are less likely to have gone to prison.

So, while the laws may help actual convicts, it can adversely affect low-skilled black men who have no criminal history.

In all states, you can ask about felony convictions before you actually hire an employee. The ban the box legislation just prevents you from asking about criminal history before you’re ready to make an offer. When you’re ready to make an offer you can do a background check which involves asking about any convictions.

The answer to this question is sometimes. Some convictions prevent you from having certain types of jobs altogether. For instance, if you run a daycare, you absolutely can and must reject convicted child sexual abusers. That’s an easy decision. In other areas, the decision is not so cut and dried.

Rejecting people based on their criminal history may violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s Title VII. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says that there are two key points when considering how to treat convicted job candidates. They say:

1. Title VII prohibits employers from treating people with similar criminal records differently because of their race, national origin, or another Title VII-protected characteristic (which includes color, sex, and religion).
2. Title VII prohibits employers from using policies or practices that screen individuals based on criminal history information if:
   • They significantly disadvantage Title VII-protected individuals such as African Americans and Hispanics; AND
   • They do not help the employer accurately decide if the person is likely to be a responsible, reliable, or safe employee.

Ban the box legislation is an attempt to comply with the first part of this (although, it’s not working), but what about the second part? First, you can’t assume an arrest means a person committed a crime that would disqualify the person from the job.

If your candidate has a conviction, you can consider that they committed the crime of which they were convicted. If there is simply an arrest, you can use that to start an inquiry into whether or not the person should be disqualified.

To determine if the convicted person is “likely to be a responsible, reliable, or safe employee” is going to vary based on state laws, but here are some general guidelines.

• Treat people of different races/genders the same. If you go ahead and hire a white man with a drug conviction because it was “a youthful indiscretion” and then reject a black man with a similar conviction you’re violating the law.
• How long has it been since the conviction? If the job candidate has a conviction for shoplifting from six months ago, you can make a strong argument this is not a trustworthy individual. If that conviction occurred 20 years ago, however, and no repeat convictions have occurred, then not so much.

If you wish to reject a job candidate based on a conviction, before you do so, please consult with your employment law attorney. Because state and even local laws can vary considerably, you can’t make generalized judgments on what you think is best for your business. You need to ensure you have followed the law precisely and that you aren’t violating Title VII in any way.

For jobs with state licensing, use the licensing procedures as your guidelines. If the licensing agency allows the person to have a license with that particular conviction, you should most likely (consult with your attorney) not consider rejecting the candidate because of that conviction either.

When trying to decide how you want to shape your policy regarding convicted felons, consider the true nature of your business. Does your business require actual saints or are normal humans enough?