"In the halls of the Colorado legislation the enthusiasm for a new Ban-the-Box law has reached fevered pitch and pundits are confident of its passage." "Representative Leslie Herod, D-Denver, has put forth a bill, HB19-1025, that would ban the question of criminal background history from employment applications." "From the Denver Post, January 29, 2019:" "This bill does not require anyone to give anyone a job," Herod said. "It just allows them to have a face-to-face conversat

"Ultimately, such a law would allow people from all backgrounds to compete fairly for employment opportunities within the state. Since more than 80% of employees feel their employers expect too much work from too few people, the passing of a "Ban the Box" bill could increase the talent pool of viable candidates. As a bonus, it could also decrease recidivism, as employment is the number one determining factor in whether someone convicted of a crime will go back to jail in the

"State Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, has proposed a bill that would ban employers from including that box on that first application. On this week's Politics Unplugged, she tells Anne Trujillo her bill would still allow employers to check on criminal history later in the process, but the goal is to get people through those initial stages of getting a job first so that potential employers get a better idea of who they are." Read full article #LeslieHerod #BantheBox #criminaljust

"Closer to home, the Vice Chair of the Colorado House Judiciary Committee has introduced a bill titled Colorado Chance to Compete — House Bill 1025 — (sometimes referred to as “ban the box”). As a step for Colorado, Vice-Chair Leslie Herod writes: “A question in particular that appears on most, if not all, job applications is this: ‘Have you ever been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime?’ If you answer yes to this question, the likely result is your application will be 

"Rep. Leslie Herod’s voice rose as she closed out her plea to the House Judiciary Committee to vote to advance the “Colorado Chance to Compete Act.” Following a few hours of testimony, the committee was set to decide whether to advance House Bill 1025, Colorado’s latest attempt to bar employers from asking about criminal history on initial applications. Such laws are known as “ban the box” statutes." “What we’re doing is rooting for people to be able to come back to society,

https://koanewsradio.iheart.com/content/2019-01-31-colorado-house-of-representatives-leslie-herod-talks-about-ban-the-box/ Read full article #LeslieHerod #BantheBox #criminaljusticereform #SecondChances

“Today, Dybing is an advocate of "ban the box," a bill that would prohibit employers from asking about past criminal convictions on that initial application. Democrats have tried to pass it before, but it always died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Now, with Democrats holding the majority in both chambers of the statehouse and a more business-friendly version of the bill, this could be the year it happens." "Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, says she's confident that her new

"Applying for a job can be a stressful process. There are a lot of questions on that application and you want to make sure that you answer all the questions truthfully." "There are some questions that are simply harder to answer than others. Regardless, you cannot ignore them. One question in particular that appears on most, if not all, job applications is this: “have you ever been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime?” If you answer yes to this question, the likely resu

"Without that initial box, the more than 1.8 million Coloradans with criminal histories will likely be more inclined to fill out job applications, he says. And Herod thinks that's an effective way to lower recidivism rates." "The number-one factor ensuring that someone doesn't go to jail is employment," says Herod." "Melton pushed for this bill at the State Capitol in 2016 and 2017, but it's always been killed at the behest of some members of the business community. According

"If it becomes law, Colorado will join 11 other states in barring employers from posing the question of criminal history in initial applications." Read full article #LeslieHerod #BantheBox #criminaljusticereform #SecondChances