Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has signed Ban the Box legislation – Executive Order 16-04 – to direct state agencies to lessen unnecessary barriers to jobs by removing questions relating to criminal history from initial state employment applications, according to a report on the Governor’s website.
Executive Order 16-04 will Ban the Box in state employment by placing criminal history questions later in the hiring process to provide job applicants with criminal records attempting to enter the workforce a fair opportunity to compete for jobs, lower recidivism rates, and improve public safety.
“This is about fairness,” Governor Nixon stated in the news report from the Office of Missouri Governor website. “Giving folks a fair chance to redeem their lives, support their families, and make a contribution to their communities is a value we share as Missourians and as Americans,”
The Ban the Box order directs all departments, agencies, and boards and commissions subject to the authority of the Governor to amend initial employment applications by removing criminal history questions unless a criminal history would render an applicant specifically ineligible for the position.
Ban the Box laws help formerly incarcerated individuals who return to their communities and frequently encounter challenges in obtaining employment. According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, the unemployment rate for Missourians on parole in 2015 was 44 percent.
Missouri joins California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia as states that currently have some form of Ban the Box legislation.
ESR Ban the Box Information Page
Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) is a leading global background check provider that supports fair and informed Ban the Box legislation and offers a complimentary Ban the Box Information Page with links to news and resources at www.esrcheck.com/Ban-the-Box/.
NOTE: Employment Screening Resources (ESR) does not provide or offer legal services or legal advice of any kind or nature. Any information on this web site is for educational purposes only.
© 2016 Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – Making copies or using of any part of the ESR News Blog or ESR website for any purpose other than your own personal use is prohibited unless written authorization is first obtained from ESR.
The post Missouri to Ban the Box by Removing Criminal History Questions from State Job Applications appeared first on ESR News Blog.