Reason: Released From Prison But Locked Out of Work

Written By JANStaff

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"More than 95 percent of the people currently locked up are getting out someday, whether you like it or not," says Holly Harris, executive director of the U.S. Justice Action Network. "That's reality. You face that reality and you ask whether you want to build a system that makes better criminals or better civilians."

Since 2015, 17 states have adopted so-called "Ban the Box" statues prohibiting public agencies from seeking information about job applicants' criminal histories. Those changes have shown that allowing former prisoners to pursue a wider range of jobs can indeed improve a state's economy. A study by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., found that Ban the Box policies are correlated with a four percent increase in employment in high-crime areas.

https://reason.com/2017/07/10/released-from-prison-locked-out-of-work/

JANStaff
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