Reference no: EM133600818

Questions: A movement to "ban the box" (i.e., prohibit employers from asking about criminal history on initial employment applications) has recently gained momentum, with California, Maryland, and Minnesota passing such a ban. The primary rationale for "ban the box" laws is to:

1. provide jobs for as many criminals as possible.

2. steer people who may be attracted by a life of crime to gainful employment, by sending the message that society cares about them.

3. enable employers to make use of criminals' knowledge, skills, and abilities that they may not otherwise have recognized.

4. expand the labor pool in response to the extreme shortage of workers in nearly all areas of the economy

5. prevent the screening out of candidates with prior criminal records, so that disparate impact against protected categories (e.g., as in the Pepsi Bottling Co. case) does not occur.