Social Worker: Employers Should Stop Singling Out Ex-Felons
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?
| Leave A CommentAdvertisement
3 Comments
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
iM A 66 YEAR OLD RETIRED I WAS ASKED TO PUT A PROGRAM FOR XFELLONS BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS THEY HAVE GETTING A JOB I LOOKED AT THIS AS A NEEDED NEED FOR US AS AMERICANS AND I COULD UNDERSTAND PEOPLE NEED A SECOND CHANCE.i CAME OUT OFR RETIREMENT AND SET THIS UP we can writeup to 250000 for the x felon no queston asked Im happy i can help people get a second chance ,i have been in the insurance business since 1967 after my service with usmc i look foward from hearing from you
regards ed murphy
I think employers should should make that question optional to answer. There are certain jobs that we as a society should have the right to know an applicants criminal history but with the amount of free info available on the internet, they are going to find out anyway.
I believe that question should be asked at the end of the interview or after one has met the prospective employee. The stigma behind a conviction has the potential to negatively effect the employers’ perception of the candidate.