Strategies To Engage Employers in Conversations About Hiring Applicants With Criminal Records

• NCJ Number: 252129
• Date Published: May 2018
• Length: 4 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2016-MU-BX-K011; ED-ESE-15-A-0011/0001
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Grant Sponsored); Instructional Material
• Award: National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC)

Annotation

For individuals and organizations that are promoting the employment of people with criminal records, this tip-sheet suggests how they can engage employers in conversations about hiring such people.

Abstract

The first tip is to research an industry's employment practices and the barriers that people with criminal records may encounter when trying to enter or advance in those industries. Associated suggestions for implementing this tip are to 1) identify the industries in your region that are expected to grow; 2) learn about career paths in these fields; 3) identify the legal and regulatory sanctions that can impact people with criminal records; and 4) determine state and local hiring policies bearing upon people with criminal records. The second tip is to listen to employers about their hiring practices. This involves determining what skills employers value in their employees and soliciting their input on the development of correctional education and training programs. The third tip is to create opportunities for employers to interact and communicate with one another. This involves identifying and building relationships with employers who have benefited from hiring people with criminal records; convening a meeting of employers in the same sector to discuss their hiring practices and the resources they use when considering a criminal record of job applicants; and working with the local chamber of commerce to provide tools and assistance in promoting the hiring of people with criminal records.