Ban the Box and Racial Discrimination: A review of the Evidence and Policy Recommendations

• In Event: Criminal Background Checks: Impact on Employment & Recidivism

Abstract

Ban-the-box policies, for which employers remove questions about criminal history from job applications and delay background checks until later in the hiring process, have gained popularity in recent years. These policies are intended to give people with criminal histories the opportunity to display their qualifications in the hiring process before being assessed—and potentially rejected—based on this history. Research on ban the box has shown that it increases callback rates for people with criminal records (Agan and Starr 2016). But recent research has also shown that ban the box can reduce the likelihood that employers call back or hire young black and Latino men (Agan and Starr 2016; Doleac and Hansen 2016). However, these results do not necessarily mean that ban the box should be eliminated. Additional policies, regulations, and alterations can ensure that ban the box improves employment outcomes for people with criminal histories without causing negative effects on people of color.

Author

• Christina Stacy, The Urban Institute