Criminal Record Questions on Job Applications as a Self-Selection Mechanism for Applying for Employment

与没有犯罪记录的人相比，有犯罪记录的人在就业方面表现更差。实验证据表明，雇主更喜欢那些没有前科的人，而有前科的有色人种尤其受到歧视。虽然我们对雇主的招聘偏好了解很多，但对于有犯罪记录的申请人是否会避开或偏爱特定的雇主，我们知之甚少。换句话说，有犯罪记录的人甚至可能不会申请某些职位，因为他们认为获得工作的几率很低，或者因为他们害怕在申请过程中被雇主污名化。就业是防止重新犯罪的最关键的纽带之一。如果个人选择不申请某些职位，这种选择将降低形成这种重要纽带的几率。因此，了解有案底的人在什么条件下选择申请工作，对于帮助个人重新融入社会和预防犯罪至关重要。该研究项目将采访140名有犯罪记录的人，这些人是从俄亥俄州哥伦布市的犯罪再入组织和中途之家招募的。通过2017年完成的一项试点研究，制定了采访指南和简短调查。深度面试将提供关于求职经历和选择的细微信息。面试的问题包括有犯罪记录前后的求职经历、犯罪记录问题或求职申请中的背景调查陈述是否会阻碍个人申请职位、个人在申请过程中对自己的记录有多坦率、以及他们寻找的是什么类型的行业。这项调查收集了社会人口统计、犯罪史、就业史和个人求职困难方面的补充信息。受访者将在六个月后重新接受采访，以了解劳动力市场的新经历是否会改变有案底者的选择，这是否会因与劳动力市场结果（如种族）相关的背景因素而有所不同，以及选择发生任何变化（如与耻辱有关的选择）的潜在原因。该项目直接解决了正在进行的公共政策辩论，即如何在求职过程中最好地为有犯罪记录的个人提供公平的评估，以便他们能够体验到就业这一重要社会纽带的好处，这是“禁止盒子运动”（该运动旨在从求职申请中消除犯罪记录问题）的最佳缩影。通过将讨论从雇主的决定转移到申请人的决定，这些结果可能会从根本上改变我们思考和评估这些政策的方式。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Individuals with criminal records fare worse at obtaining employment compared to those with clean records. Experimental evidence shows that employers prefer those with clean records, and that persons of color with records are particularly discriminated against. While much is known about employer hiring preferences, little is known about whether applicants with criminal records avoid or prefer particular employers. In other words, individuals with criminal records may not even apply to certain positions due to perceived low odds of getting the job or because they fear being stigmatized by employers in the application process. Employment is one of the most critical bonds for preventing a return to crime. If individuals elect not to apply for certain positions, such choices will decrease the odds of forming this important bond. Understanding under what conditions individuals with records choose to apply for jobs is therefore central to efforts to help individuals reintegrate into society and prevent crime. This research project will interview 140 individuals with criminal records recruited from criminal reentry organizations and halfway houses in the Columbus, OH metropolitan area. An interview guide and brief survey were developed through a pilot study completed in 2017. In-depth interviews will provide nuanced information regarding job search experiences and choices. The interviews query topics such as experiences with job searches both before and after having a criminal record, whether criminal records questions or background check statements on job applications prevent individuals from applying for positions, how forthcoming individuals are about their record in the application process, and what types of industries they seek out. The survey gathers complementary information on socio-demographics, criminal history, employment history, and personal difficulties in applying for jobs. Respondents will be re-interviewed six months later in order to understand whether new experiences in the labor market alter choices among those with records, whether this differs by background factors related to labor market outcomes such as race, and the underlying reasons for any changes in choices such as those related to stigma. This project directly addresses ongoing public policy debates regarding how best to provide individuals with criminal records a fair assessment in the job application process so that they can experience the benefits of the important social bond of employment, best epitomized by the Ban the Box movement (which seeks to eliminate criminal record questions from job applications). By moving the discussion from decisions of employers to those of applicants, these results may fundamentally change the way we think about and evaluate these policies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.