top of page

Criminal Records and Employment: A Survey of Experiences and Attitudes in the United States

Updated: Sep 3

The majority of employers ask about criminal records and of those that do, a vast majority (87%) ask about them on the application. This study of the application and hiring process in the United States indicates that Ban the Box policies should have a significant impact, given how many employers ask about criminal records on an application. Interestingly, the survey also found that most people support employers' right to ask about criminal records, but there is mixed support for when that should happen during the application process.


Denver, M., Pickett, J. T., & Bushway, S. D. (2018). Criminal Records and Employment: A Survey of Experiences and Attitudes in the United States. Justice Quarterly, 35(4), 584–613. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2017.1340502

OR

| RESEARCH DIGEST 

CATEGORIES

AFTERLIVES
OF CONVICTION
PROJECT

ABOUT

The Afterlives of Conviction Project documents the human impact of criminal conviction and joins efforts to challenge the discriminatory use of criminal records.

SITE

©2021 Melissa Burch. All Rights Reserved.

Original artwork by Ana Holschuh

Design by Ana HolschuhMegan Freund 

bottom of page