Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Running For Office with a Criminal Record
In January, the question of whether an individual with a criminal record can run for U.S. Senate came up when Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. soldier who was convicted for sharing classified government documents on WikiLeaks, filed to run for the U.S. Senate seat in the state of Maryland. Specifically, Manning was convicted in… Read More »
New Study Draws Direct Correlation between Minimum Wage and Criminal Recidivism
According to a new study out of Clemson University, minimum wage is directly related to criminal recidivism. This is further support of the fact that without the ability for those who have served their time to move on, obtain employment, and earn a decent wage they are more likely to end up back in… Read More »
How Human Resources Instructs Employers on Employees with Criminal Records
As attorneys who have dedicated our careers to helping New York citizens avoid the harmful effects of having criminal records, we are used to advising people on the consequences. However, it is one thing to hear from your attorney how important it is to clear your record, but it another thing altogether to see… Read More »
The Connection between Having a Criminal Record & Serving in the Military
Harvard University—in conjunction with Amherst—has released very important research concerning former felons outperforming other employees with “clean records.” These studies offer compelling statistics when it comes to changing the lifelong consequences of having a criminal record. The studies undertaken were unique in their own way because they based their research on the U.S. military—the… Read More »
“Challenging the ‘Life Sentence’ Of Unemployment”
On January 4th, Inside Sources published an important story describing how we, as a society, can no longer afford to continue to toss aside the vast human potential represented by job applicants with criminal histories. It is truly time to address one of the most devastating collateral consequences following every American with a criminal… Read More »
New York City Study Focuses On Potential for Redemption in an Era of Criminal Background Checks
More than 80 percent of U.S. employers perform background checks on prospective employees. While finding employment after incarceration is key in order for former inmates to reintegrate into society and avoid recidivism, according to studies funded by the National Institute of Justice, employers are still extremely hesitant to hire applicants with criminal records. In… Read More »
The Use of Criminal Records in the College Admissions Process
On December 18th, the Herald Times Online featured an interesting article discussing how students and faculty at some universities are looking into the role criminal history can and should play in the application process at some universities. According to the National Employment Law Project, nine states have already removed questions pertaining to past criminal… Read More »
Federal Lawsuit Could Impact Landlords Screening Applicants with Criminal Records
The nation is currently watching one federal lawsuit challenging one New York landlord’s ban on renting to people with criminal backgrounds. Even though the federal government has indicated to landlords that these types of bans violate fair housing laws, the practice unfortunately still persists in many cities. According to some estimates, these types of… Read More »
Hope For Getting Past Marijuana Convictions Sealed
Many states around the country are not only voting to legalize the use of marijuana, but also to allow people to reduce or erase convictions for marijuana crimes. Many have called it repairing the harm that was done by the “war on drugs.” New York has had a law in place since 2009 allowing… Read More »
“New State Law Gives Those with a Record a Second Chance”
On November 19th, Newsday highlighted the story of the very first person to have their criminal record sealed by a Long Island court under New York’s new law, which went into effect on October 7th. While it does not allow for expungement, the law allows low-level offenders to have criminal records sealed from employers,… Read More »
