Chance, Choice, Change, Compete
"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 disregarded. You won’t be interviewed. You simply won’t be considered for the job. The bill addresses this issue and does so in a moderate and measured way. It simply says that businesses cannot ask this question on the application but can do so later in the interview process. The bill is an important criminal justice reform initiative and makes good economic sense.”
"The good news is that approximately 25 states and hundreds of municipalities across the country have passed similar laws, with positive outcomes. Simply stated, employment and contributing to community reduces recidivism. Here’s another significant Herod statistic: “Ninety-six percent of ex-offenders when trained into skilled jobs succeed. They don’t re-offend. The greatest influence on reducing recidivism is employment”."
#LeslieHerod #BantheBox #criminaljusticereform #SecondChances
