Employment Application Criminal Record Questions and Willingness to Apply: A Mixed Method Study of Self-Selection

Vuolo, Mike; Schneider, Lesley E.; LaPlant, Eric G.

doi:10.1086/722293

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…When job or license applications warn that clearance is contingent on a formal background check, states should clearly advise applicants that a criminal record is not in itself disqualifying (Ewald, 2019), while also providing a list of offenses that may present problems for ultimate approval. While self‐selection is not unique to formal background checks (Ewald, 2019; Vuolo et al., 2022), the proliferation of these requirements in recent years underlines the importance of efforts to minimize the role of chilling effects in diminishing the labor market prospects of formerly incarcerated people.…”

Section: Discussion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, Vuolo et al. (2022) find that job applications that mention a criminal record inquiry significantly depress stated willingness to apply among justice‐involved people, and this effect does not differ according to whether the method of inquiry was a background check or a self‐disclosure question. While that study does not differentiate between formal and commercial background checks, it is important to note that formal checks often impose the additional financial and logistical burden of being fingerprinted at a state‐approved vendor.…”

Section: Formal Background Checks and Mechanisms Of Criminal Record E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Criminal background check laws and labor market inequality in the United States

McElhattan

2024

Criminology & Public Policy

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Research summaryA growing literature documents the effect of criminal justice contact on inequalities in the labor market. While ample evidence indicates that a criminal record itself imposes considerable disadvantage, the formal legal mechanisms that may contribute to criminal record‐based exclusion have received less empirical attention. The present study examines how one such mechanism—legal requirements for employers and license boards to perform criminal background checks—shapes labor market outcomes among formerly incarcerated people. The study draws from novel longitudinal data on the extensiveness of background check requirements at the state level, as well as individual‐level data on incarceration, wages, and unemployment from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Results show that while the extensiveness of state‐level background check requirements does not significantly affect the likelihood of unemployment, formerly incarcerated people residing in states where background check requirements are extensive are estimated to earn significantly lower wages than their counterparts in states with few screening mandates.Policy implicationsCriminal background check requirements stand as significant policy barriers that diminish the earning potential of formerly incarcerated people. Policy makers seeking to mitigate the collateral consequences of criminal convictions should narrow the scope of these laws to target specific, highly sensitive occupations, as opposed to broader workplace contexts. Reforms should also address persistent data quality issues in state criminal history record systems and shift the burdens imposed by incomplete or erroneous rap sheets. To minimize adverse self‐selection, background check procedures should clarify for applicants the role that a criminal history record may play in clearance decisions. Finally, future research should assess the marginal benefit of criminal background checks compared with other methods of screening prospective hires and licensees.

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Section: Discussion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Formal Background Checks and Mechanisms Of Criminal Record E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Criminal background check laws and labor market inequality in the United States

McElhattan

2024

Criminology & Public Policy

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“…In many cases, people who have these records engage in stigma reduction efforts, such as avoiding applying to jobs that require a background check or actively managing stigma in interviews. Recent work shows, however, that some people do engage in other strategies, such as “targeted applying” to jobs (Vuolo et al 2022). Here, the professionalization of stigma provides one additional stigma management strategy that certain people with records may employ during re-entry.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…People may leverage stigma into informal assets such as insight into the nature of a job or unique access to social capital from a particular group. For example, if a person involved with the criminal justice system is re-entering the workforce after a period of incarceration, they may engage in a variety of stigma management techniques while interacting with potential employers (Vuolo, Schneider, and LaPlant 2022), including avoiding anticipatory stigma by opting out of specific job applications, demonstrating reform to minimize stigma, or strategically applying only to specific positions. In our theory, a hypothetical person strategically engaging what Vuolo et al (2022:577) call “targeted applying” could also make the claim that their experience with stigma through incarceration gives them unique insight into the requirements of the job and thus provides a unique set of qualifications for that job.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Professionalization of Stigma: The Novel Case of Recovery Coaching

Silcox,

Stewart

2023

Journal of Applied Social Science

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Research on stigma management techniques often emphasizes reducing and challenging negative associations with stigmatization. How do people manage stigma in social groups where negative associations may be socially or professionally advantageous? We answer this question with a case study of the emerging industry of “Recovery Coaching,” where firsthand experiences with drug use and recovery are part of a credentialing system that offers entry into a professional field. Drawing on interviews with 22 participants, 15 of whom were certified recovery coaches, we demonstrate the presence of a unique stigma management technique: the professionalization of stigma. Recovery coaches explicitly leverage revealing stigmatized associations to establish and justify their membership in a professional group. We distinguish the professionalization of stigma from conventional management techniques that reduce stigma and discuss the implications of this concept for the study of destigmatization under neoliberal social and economic conditions across different subfields of sociological research.

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“…Corda, 2016, 2018; Jacobs, 2015; Lageson, 2020) analyses that examine the punitive nature of collateral consequences, as well as criminological studies that explore the mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of having a criminal record (e.g. Denver et al, 2018; Evans, 2019; McElhattan, 2022; Stewart and Uggen, 2020; Vuolo et al, 2022). Additionally, researchers have tested strategies aimed at providing individial with criminal records with meaningful second chances (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%