Employers should stop asking job seekers on applications whether they have been convicted of a felony, according to this column in the Ann Arbor Chronicle in Michigan.

The column is by Jason Smith, a master’s in social work student at the University of Michigan and an intern at the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative.

Here’s an excerpt:

“In most cases, prison sentences are a way to repay a ‘debt to society.’ But the stigma of a criminal conviction often follows a person long after that debt is supposed to have been settled and they have returned to the community.”

Q: Do you agree employers should stop asking applicants if they have been convicted of a felony? Or do employers have the right to know this information before running a background check on a potential employee?