"Ban the Box" laws hurt Black Job Applicants

[JohnStOnge]

Heard this situation described while being sophisticated by listening to NPR while driving today. Interesting "unintended consequences" situation:

http://www.maineemploymentlawyerblog.co ... rkers.html

Supporters of Ban the Box laws believe that the laws will help black workers who are statistically more likely to have criminal histories than white workers. They believe that black applicants will have a better chance of getting called for an interview if they do not have to reveal a criminal history on a job application.

Some states and cities around the country have enacted Ban the Box laws. Researchers recently looked at the effects these laws had on black workers as compared to white workers in New York City and New Jersey. Surprisingly, these researchers found that Ban the Box laws actually hurt black applicants’ chances of getting called for an interview.

What could explain this counter-intuitive result? The researchers who conducted the study have several theories. One theory is that when employers have information about applicants’ races but not their criminal histories, employers base their decisions on the knowledge that, in general, black people are more likely to have criminal histories than white people.

Study abstract at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm? ... id=2795795

[mrklean]

Why do we need the BOX?
It's 2016 not 1916.

[JohnStOnge]

Why do we need the BOX?
It's 2016 not 1916.

Apparently to keep people from making assumptions. In any case, government ought not to be telling businesses what they can and cannot ask on job applications to begin with.

[Skjellyfetti]

Why do we need the BOX?
It's 2016 not 1916.

Apparently to keep people from making assumptions. In any case, government ought not to be telling businesses what they can and cannot ask on job applications to begin with.

I thought the "Ban the Box" laws were about government jobs?

Surely the government can say what should be asked on government applications, no? Federal government should be able to mandate federal government application standards, state government for state applications, local government for local government applications, etc.

Has any government organization mandated it for private business or are you creating an issue where it doesn't exist?

[Ibanez]

Why do we need the BOX?
It's 2016 not 1916.

Because some people can't be trusted.

[CID1990]

Why do we need the BOX?
It's 2016 not 1916.

Because some people can't be trusted.

Ain't that the truth

I guess Kleak thinks a history of theft or fraud isn't inimical to having a security clearance

THAT SAID- I was surprised to find that past drug use isn't necessarily disqualifying -the number of former pothead millenials around here is amazing

[CID1990]

Apparently to keep people from making assumptions. In any case, government ought not to be telling businesses what they can and cannot ask on job applications to begin with.

I thought the "Ban the Box" laws were about government jobs?

Surely the government can say what should be asked on government applications, no? Federal government should be able to mandate federal government application standards, state government for state applications, local government for local government applications, etc.

Has any government organization mandated it for private business or are you creating an issue where it doesn't exist?

I have an announcement of some gravity to make here



I agree with Skelly

[ASUG8]

It's a waste of time to ban the box, spend the time interviewing, then dig up a criminal history on a background check and disqualify them anyway.

[CAA Flagship]

It's a waste of time to ban the box, spend the time interviewing, then dig up a criminal history on a background check and disqualify them anyway.

This.

I took kleany's remark above to mean this. We can do background checks easier now than ever before. What's the point of the box other than eliminating the candidate sooner rather than later?

I think I would want to know all the positive qualities of a person first. Then introduce the negatives into the equation. Then decide if I could live with the negatives in order to get the positives. It's like selecting women. Hot looks and hot body will get your attention first. Then you have to decide if you want to put up with her bullshit.

[CID1990]

It's a waste of time to ban the box, spend the time interviewing, then dig up a criminal history on a background check and disqualify them anyway.

This.

I took kleany's remark above to mean this. We can do background checks easier now than ever before. What's the point of the box other than eliminating the candidate sooner rather than later?

I think I would want to know all the positive qualities of a person first. Then introduce the negatives into the equation. Then decide if I could live with the negatives in order to get the positives. It's like selecting women. Hot looks and hot body will get your attention first. Then you have to decide if you want to put up with her bullshit.

True. You don't need the "box" when you can just ignore all the applications with the given name "Shaniqua" or D'Marius

amirite Klean?

[GrizFanStuckInUtah]

Apparently to keep people from making assumptions. In any case, government ought not to be telling businesses what they can and cannot ask on job applications to begin with.

I thought the "Ban the Box" laws were about government jobs?

Surely the government can say what should be asked on government applications, no? Federal government should be able to mandate federal government application standards, state government for state applications, local government for local government applications, etc.

Has any government organization mandated it for private business or are you creating an issue where it doesn't exist?

I didn't read the second link but the first one did elude to all employers IMHO.

In recent years, lawmakers have debated whether to prohibit employers from asking about criminal history on job applications

I would agree that the guvmint can control what is on their application, I don't believe they should control what is on a private business application. I think it is a damned if you do, damned if you don't. It sounds to me like it could be hurting the blacks that don't have a criminal background when you can't ask about it. Seems really dumb to not disqualify someone right away if they have a history you can't live with, black or white.

[Skjellyfetti]

I would agree that the guvmint can control what is on their application, I don't believe they should control what is on a private business application.

I don't either.

And, while I'm not looking up every state and municipality's law where this has been enacted... I seriously doubt any government is restricting what private businesses put on their application to hire their own employees.

If they were - that would have drawn the fury of a thousand suns from the right. I'm a bleeding heart liberal and admittedly fairly far to the left, and I would be against that pretty strongly.

It isn't happening and I seriously fucking doubt that it's already happened anywhere.