State-Issued Stigma Remediation Certifications: An Experimental Analysis of Certificate Names, Negligence Immunity, Decisionmakers, and Perceptions

• In Event: Understanding and Addressing Discrimination in Employment against Individuals with Criminal Records

Abstract

Over the last decade, states have increasingly adopted policies to mitigate the impact of criminal records, including awarding certificates to eligible individuals with criminal histories who have demonstrated that they are rehabilitated. Outside of limited research in specific contexts (e.g., Leasure & Andersen, 2019), little is known about employer perceptions of these certificates, including what components of the certificate make them valuable and what certificate naming conventions convey about the recipient. Guided by a nationwide review of rehabilitation certificates completed by McCann et al. (2021), we conducted a factorial survey experiment to understand whether randomizing (1) the name of the certificate (Certificate of Rehabilitation, Relief, Employability, or Restoration of Rights), (2) whether the certificate provided immunity from negligible hiring lawsuits, and (3) which decision-maker grants the certificate (a judge or officer at the Department of Corrections) impacts employer perceptions about a job applicant with a certificate. Results from our analysis and policy implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Samuel E. DeWitt, American Institutes for Research

• Abby Ballou, Northeastern University

• Megan Denver, Northeastern University