Criminal Records and Housing: An Experimental Study

Leasure, Peter; Martin, Tara E.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2783843

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…This type of “deeply discrediting” attribute (Goffman, : 3) can limit a host of social and economic opportunities for individuals with criminal records (Bushway and Sweeten, ; Love, Roberts, and Klingele, ; Pager, ). Positive credentials, meanwhile, such as an occupational license, training‐program diploma, or judicially awarded rights‐restoring certificate, can reduce criminal record stigma and enhance future opportunities (Leasure and Martin, ; Pager, ; Radice, ). Amidst dramatically expanded public and academic attention to the burdens of living with a criminal record, “work has become the sine qua non of reentry” discussions (Demleitner, : 167) .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…an occupational license, training-program diploma, or judicially awarded rights-restoring certificate, can reduce criminal record stigma and enhance future opportunities (Leasure and Martin, 2017;Pager, 2007;Radice, 2012). Amidst dramatically expanded public and academic attention to the burdens of living with a criminal record, "work has become the sine qua non of reentry" discussions (Demleitner, 2016: 167).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Credentialing Decisions and Criminal Records: A Narrative Approach*

Denver¹,

Ewald

2018

Criminology

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Decision makers such as employers and state occupational licensing officials are often encouraged or required to incorporate evidence of rehabilitation into hiring decisions when applicants have criminal records. Current policy movements at the local, state, and federal levels may increase the use of such individualized assessments. Yet little is known about which types of information these decision makers use, how they evaluate evidence, and how they ultimately make determinations. We examine a sample of 50 unarmed security guard licensing decisions in New York State using content analysis. We find that administrative law judges rely on a narrative framework to document whether applicants currently have a prosocial identity and merit licensure. Judges typically describe one of two prosocial identity narratives for successful applicants: The applicant demonstrates achieving meaningful change, or his or her criminal record represents an aberration. Two factors seem vital to these assessments: applicants’ postconviction trustworthiness, as demonstrated through good conduct or inferred through positive appraisals, and credible testimony. In narrative explanations, personal responsibility and adult milestones are often discussed, reflecting a judicial nod to the notion of a “transition to adulthood.” The results hold implications for scholars and policy makers examining employment barriers, stigma remediation, and collateral sanctions for individuals with criminal records.

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confidence: 99%

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Credentialing Decisions and Criminal Records: A Narrative Approach*

Denver¹,

Ewald

2018

Criminology

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“…Our findings regarding the effect of prior criminal record on the likelihood of arrest are not that surprising when one recognizes that considerable social stigma results from an individual being labeled as a criminal in our society (Jacobs, 2015). Research readily shows that a criminal label hinders prospects for employment (Pager, 2007), delays the onset of marriage (Huebner, 2005), attenuates the probability of being admitted to a university (Pierce et al., 2014), hampers the likelihood of securing of rental housing (Leasure & Martin, 2017), impedes the ability to vote (White, 2019), and manifests harmful health outcomes (Massoglia & Remster, 2019). Various family and environmental factors attributable to parental convictions and independent of self-reported offending, such as an erratic parental job record, poor housing, poor parental child-rearing (Farrington, 1979), and coming from a low-income family (Farrington, 2001), can also have a salient influence on the future criminal behavior of a youth.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Usual Suspects: Prior Criminal Record and the Probability of Arrest

2020

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A unique dataset is analyzed to investigate the effect of a criminal suspect’s prior criminal record on the probability of arrest. Multivariate logistic regression results show that a criminal suspect with a prior criminal record is approximately 29 times more likely than a suspect without a criminal record to be arrested by police. While findings also reveal that Black suspects and Black suspects with a prior criminal record do not have an enhanced proclivity of arrest, Black suspects with a prior criminal record who target White victims are almost three times more apt to be arrested. When juxtaposed with the finding in the baseline model of a substantive relationship between a suspect’s race and the likelihood of arrest absent the control for prior criminal record, our results suggest that any correlation evinced between a criminal suspect’s race and the likelihood of arrest without controlling for the suspect’s prior criminal history may be spurious due to omitted variable bias.

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“…Recognizing these facts, some have begun to explore the negative impacts of misdemeanor records (Kohler-Hausmann, 2013; Leasure & Martin, 2017; Natapoff, 2011; Roberts, 2011). In one such study of particular interest here, Uggen, Vuolo, Lageson, Ruhland, and Whitham (2014) explored whether those possessing low-level misdemeanor arrest records faced difficulties in securing employment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Misdemeanor Records and Employment Outcomes: An Experimental Study

Leasure

2018

Crime & Delinquency

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This study examined whether misdemeanor drug convictions impact entry-level hiring outcomes. An experimental correspondence study was used whereby fictitious resumes are sent to employers. Resumes were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: no criminal record, 1-year-old misdemeanor record, and a 1-year-old felony record. Resumes were also randomly assigned with a distinctively White or African American name. Job type was used as an additional predictor. Results indicate that a misdemeanor conviction significantly hinders hiring outcomes for both African American and White applicants. However, results did not show statistically significant differences in the outcome between races. These results should be utilized to better inform defendants, practitioners, and policy-makers on the negative impacts of low-level convictions.

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Criminal Records and Housing: An Experimental Study

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 publications

Credentialing Decisions and Criminal Records: A Narrative Approach*

Credentialing Decisions and Criminal Records: A Narrative Approach*

The Usual Suspects: Prior Criminal Record and the Probability of Arrest

Misdemeanor Records and Employment Outcomes: An Experimental Study

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