Does a Criminal Past Predict Worker Performance? Evidence from One of America’s Largest Employers

Lundquist, Jennifer Hickes; Pager, Devah; Strader, Eiko

doi:10.1093/sf/sox092

Cited by 45 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Yet recidivism may not be the only outcome of interest. For example, recent evidence suggests that soldiers with felony records “perform as well or better than counterparts with no criminal record” (Lundquist, Pager, and Strader, : 2). The results of future research linking decision processes to employment, job performance, and recidivism outcomes could further inform practitioners tasked with evaluating evidence of rehabilitation for applicants with criminal records.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In , the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) advised employers to conduct individualized assessments—decisions that incorporate context‐specific and rehabilitative information—instead of blanket denying applicants with conviction records. The military uses a “whole person” review, which “bears a striking similarity” to EEOC guidance (Lundquist, Pager, and Strader, : 5). Similarly, the spread of “Ban the Box” measures across the country requires public (and, occasionally, private) employers to delay criminal record inquiries past the application stage, sometimes until after the candidate has a successful interview (Rodriguez and Avery, ).…”

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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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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Credentialing Decisions and Criminal Records: A Narrative Approach*

Denver¹,

Ewald

2018

Criminology

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“…This article follows up on an important yet preliminary observation by Lundquist et al (2018) suggesting a possible correlation between combat assignment and higher death rates observed for ex-felons in the military. Using the data obtained from the Department of Defense, this paper identifies dangerous Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) and analyzes relative risks of combat assignment, disability, and death between enlisted soldiers with and without criminal records who joined the Army between 2002 and 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Particularly worrisome is the "cannon fodder" allegation that those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with limited employment prospects disproportionately shoulder the burden of combat (Armor 1996; MacLean 2011; MacLean and Parsons 2010) because ex-offenders tend to have less education, limited job prospects, and unstable work histories (Greenberg et al 2007a;Harlow 2003;Nally et al 2011Nally et al , 2013Pompoco et al 2017). Although preliminary, Lundquist et al (2018) find higher death rates among ex-felons, but they were unable to say conclusively whether the disparity was due to inequality in combat assignment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Will You Die for Your Country? Workplace Death in an Era of Mass Incarceration

Strader

Hines

2020

Sociological Forum

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People with criminal records in the United States continue to face limited employment opportunities due to social stigma and legal barriers. In contrast to the civilian sector, the military conducts a "whole person" evaluation to screen potential recruits and regularly hires people with felony and misdemeanor records. Moreover, evidence suggests that the military serves as a socially integrative institution and may facilitate desistance from future crimes. However, critics argue that the military exacerbates inequalities by subjecting marginalized communities to the unequal burden of service. Using the data obtained from the Army, we examine the relative risks of combat exposure and casualties between enlisted soldiers with and without criminal records who joined between 2002 and 2009. The results suggest that soldiers with felony and misdemeanor records are more likely to be assigned to combat occupations than those without criminal records. We also find that among soldiers assigned to positions with low combat exposure, ex-offenders face a higher risk of death compared to those without criminal records. Findings do not dispute the idea that the military facilitates desistance from future crimes and provides second chances to people with criminal records, but reaffirm the fact that military service costs lives and limbs.

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“…Nevertheless, recent studies show that workers with convictions do not display lower productivity compared to never‐convicted counterparts. Lundquist et al () found that military enlistees with felony convictions do not have a higher dismissal rate from misconduct or poor work performance compared to counterparts without felony convictions. Likewise, Minor et al () found that in customer service jobs, workers with criminal records had involuntary separation rates statistically similar to those of workers without records.…”

Section: Theory and Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ban the Box, Convictions, and Public Employment

Craigie

2019

Economic Inquiry

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Ban the Box (BTB) policies mandate deferred access to criminal history until later in the hiring process. However, these policies chiefly target public employers. The study is the first to focus on the primary goal of BTB reform, by measuring the impact of BTB policies on the probability of public employment for those with convictions. To execute the analyses, the study uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 Cohort (2005–2015) and difference‐in‐difference (DD) estimation. The study finds that BTB policies raise the probability of public employment for those with convictions by about 30% on average. Some scholars argue that BTB policies encourage statistical discrimination against young low‐skilled minority males. The study employs triple‐difference (DDD) estimation to test for statistical discrimination, but uncovers no evidence to support the hypothesis. (JEL J15, J71, J78, K4).

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Does a Criminal Past Predict Worker Performance? Evidence from One of America’s Largest Employers

Cited by 45 publications

References 18 publications

Credentialing Decisions and Criminal Records: A Narrative Approach*

Credentialing Decisions and Criminal Records: A Narrative Approach*

Will You Die for Your Country? Workplace Death in an Era of Mass Incarceration

Ban the Box, Convictions, and Public Employment

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