Grow Applications by 33%
by Including Returning Citizens
One-third of Americans have been Arrested.
By the age of 23, 1 in 3 Americans have been arrested, resulting in 70-100 million people with criminal records. If you screen out ex-offenders, you are reducing your talent pool by one-third. There are 70-100 million people in the U.S. that fall into this category, many with valuable skills, experiences, and wisdom.
What does a Felony Mean?
Many people inaccurately assume that a criminal history indicates violence. It is also common to overestimate the severity of an offense which resulted in a felony charge, because crime labels can be challenging to understand. A felony is not necessarily a violent crime. In Michigan, a felony is defined as any “offense for which the offender, on conviction may be punished by death, or by imprisonment in state prison” with a maximum sentence of more than one year in prison.
Felony charges include offenses such as:
Forging a signature on a check,
Perjury,
Adultery,
Drawing on insufficient funds greater than $500 (writing a bad check), or
Possession of a stolen license plate.
Broadcast your Position
Many returning citizens are expecting to be judged in a hiring process based on their criminal history. Many have personal stories or have heard stories from others of employers that wouldn’t hire them because of their background. Fear and discouragement from rejection and bias, can create hesitation or avoidance in applying for jobs, even when they have well-suited skills. To counteract this dynamic, it is important for felony-friendly employers to adjust the individual job posting language to clearly indicate what criminal histories are not permitted based on the nature of the job. it is important to specifically outline the the nature & gravity of the offense and the time that has passed since the offense or sentence. Having this clarity up front doesn’t guarantee you will hire someone who meets the criteria, but it may add people to your candidate pool that would have otherwise not even applied, and could be the best qualified.
Post your positions on our inclusive Job Board
You will gain access to hidden West Michigan talent that is work-ready.
Reference: For more specifics on this issue and additional leading practices, reference a helpful report published in September of 2017.