Criminal Records, Positive Employment Credentials, and Race

DeWitt, Samuel E.; Denver, Megan

doi:10.1177/0022427819886111

Cited by 18 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Perhaps policymakers could create a process where grantees of certificates are automatically eligible for the WOTC or bonding. It may also be prudent to combine various mechanisms with additional factors such comprehensive job training and vouching (i.e., recommendations or letters of support from prior employers or friends/family) (see Cherney & Fitzgerald, 2016;DeWitt & Denver, 2020). However, it is also possible that mechanisms that rely on rational choice perspectives are not effective, as our results seem to suggest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Effectiveness of Certificates of Relief: A Correspondence Audit of Hiring Outcomes

Leasure¹,

Kaminski²

2021

J Empirical Legal Studies

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Although there are several collateral consequence relief mechanisms that could theoretically be used to improve employment outcomes for those with criminal history, many of these mechanisms are available only for first‐time/low‐level individuals or possess other requirements that limit their accessibility. Recognizing these facts, some jurisdictions have created certificates of relief, which are generally more accessible than other relief mechanisms. The goal of the current study was to test whether one state's (Ohio) certificate could improve hiring outcomes for men with criminal histories comprised of felony theft, felony drug possession, and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia convictions. This goal was achieved with the use of two field experiments. Results showed that certificate holders with criminal history received significantly fewer callbacks than those with no criminal record and fared no better than those with an identical criminal record and no certificate. Further, African‐American applicants received significantly fewer callbacks than white applicants in all criminal record categories.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Effectiveness of Certificates of Relief: A Correspondence Audit of Hiring Outcomes

Leasure¹,

Kaminski²

2021

J Empirical Legal Studies

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“…Numerous studies have examined whether official labeling has negative effects on other intermediate outcomes such as social and economic opportunities. In examining employment, for example, experimental data consistently indicate that employers are significantly less likely to call back or hire individuals who have criminal records than those without (e.g., Pager 2003;Decker et al 2015;DeWitt and Denver 2020). Pager (2003) found that, among otherwise identical candidates, individuals with a criminal record are less likely to receive callbacks from employers than those without a record.…”

Section: B Incarceration As a Criminogenic Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Custodial Sanctions and Reoffending: A Meta-Analytic Review

Petrich¹,

Pratt²,

Jonson³

et al. 2021

Crime and Justice

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Beginning in the 1970s, the United States began an experiment in mass imprisonment. Supporters argued that harsh punishments such as imprisonment reduce crime by deterring inmates from reoffending. Skeptics argued that imprisonment may have a criminogenic effect. The skeptics were right. Previous narrative reviews and meta-analyses concluded that the overall effect of imprisonment is null. Based on a much larger meta-analysis of 116 studies, the current analysis shows that custodial sanctions have no effect on reoffending or slightly increase it when compared with the effects of noncustodial sanctions such as probation. This finding is robust regardless of variations in methodological rigor, types of sanctions examined, and sociodemographic characteristics of samples. All sophisticated assessments of the research have independently reached the same conclusion. The null effect of custodial compared with noncustodial sanctions is considered a "criminological fact." Incarceration cannot be justified on the grounds it affords public safety by decreasing recidivism. Prisons are unlikely to

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“…Denver's (2020, p. 194) recent work is particularly relevant here. Similar to the concept of signals, she focuses on the potential importance of the presentation of "positive credentials" that provide "evidence of rehabilitation" (see also Denver & Ewald, 2018;DeWitt & Denver, 2020). In New York State, job applicants provisionally hired to work in the health care sector receive mandatory background checks by the department of health.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the eternal criminal record: Public support for expungement

Burton

Cullen

Pickett

et al. 2020

Criminology & Public Policy

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James Jacobs detailed how it has become increasingly difficult to escape the mark of a criminal record. One way to "wipe the slate clean" is through the official expungement of criminal records. We assess public views toward this policy using a national sample of American adults (N = 1,000). Public support for expungement is high for persons convicted of property and substance-related offenses, who stay crime free for 7-10 years, and who "signal" their reform through stable employment and completion of a rehabilitation program. Members of the public are also concerned about unfettered public access to criminal records and want to ensure that any available criminal record information is accurate. The strongest predictor of support for expungement is a belief in redeemability. Policy Implications: There is a growing movement in the United States that seeks to curtail the effects of criminal records through their expungement. In recent years, most states have enacted bills creating, expanding, or streamlining criminal record relief. Public opinion is important in this context, because it can motivate or constrain reform efforts. Our findings show that, when the risk to public safety appears low, the American public favors providing second chances by using expungement to wipe clean the record of a criminal offense committed years previously. Further, knowledge about the public's

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Criminal Records, Positive Employment Credentials, and Race

Cited by 18 publications

References 70 publications

The Effectiveness of Certificates of Relief: A Correspondence Audit of Hiring Outcomes

The Effectiveness of Certificates of Relief: A Correspondence Audit of Hiring Outcomes

Custodial Sanctions and Reoffending: A Meta-Analytic Review

Beyond the eternal criminal record: Public support for expungement

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