Justice 4 All: Bridging the racial jobs gap
Did you know that in Minnesota one in five people have an arrest or conviction record that can show up on a routine criminal background check for employment? Community members with a criminal or arrest record are routinely denied employment, leading to one million people within Minnesota struggling to find work. A person’s criminal record and even a person’s arrest record will follow them throughout their lives and may negatively impact their employment opportunities. By promoting changes to employer’s use of background information, it allows for access to employment opportunities for those with criminal records.
Equal access to employment opportunities benefits neighborhoods, families, the economy, and the overall societal well-being. However, for many members of our community this access has been denied. Communities of color are facing a serious employment crisis in our state. Minnesota has the worst unemployment gap in the nation, where Blacks are three times more likely to be unemployed than Whites. A contributing factor leading to this disparity are the challenges experienced by those with a criminal record who are seeking to obtain employment. Especially when, more than 92% of employers use background checks, and as many as two thirds refuse to hire applicants with criminal or arrest records, regardless of the length of time since conviction or relevancy to the job. A criminal history serves as a bar to employment.
