Recent Blog Posts
The Role That Having a Criminal Record Plays In Crime and Poverty
In March, Forbes featured an interesting multi-part series covering the impact a criminal record has on nearly 65 million Americans and their ability to find work, and how this ultimately leads to ongoing criminal activity and poverty. The last part of the series was featured on March 31st, which we discuss in greater detail… Read More »
Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Regarding Criminal Record Sealing Policies Filed In New York Federal Court
A settlement submitted to a federal court in New York for approval on April 5th highlights an important issue regarding employers and criminal record screening policies that result in discrimination. The case involved was brought as a class action lawsuit against the company Target for violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleging… Read More »
Another Negative Consequence of Having a Criminal Record: Denied Access to Crime Victim Services
Many people realize that America’s prisons are overcrowded and that having a criminal record—even one linked to a minor crime that’s 10 years old—can place innumerable hurdles in one’s way in terms of finding employment and housing. However, many do not realize that individuals with criminal records are also frequently denied access to crime… Read More »
Trying To Start a Business with a Criminal Record
Trying to get a job with a criminal record can be more challenging than you might realize. Even individuals looking to the world of self-employment as a means of getting around the strict criminal background checks that many 9-to-5 jobs require face hurdles, as there are a number of businesses you cannot start if… Read More »
Federal Bill Seeks To Help Ex-Offenders, But Does It Go Far Enough?
While states like New York have already passed laws that allow certain individuals with criminal records to get their records sealed so that they can move on past the collateral consequences of having a criminal record, get paying jobs, and reenter society as productive citizens, there has yet to be a federal bill seeking… Read More »
Sex Trafficking Victims Penalized Via Criminal Records
You may be surprised to find out that one group of people that routinely suffers from the collateral consequences of having a criminal record includes sex trafficking victims, who almost always have criminal records that keep them from starting over with their lives. Perhaps most importantly, the criminal record these victims have can ruin… Read More »
Previously Incarcerated Advocate Speaks out On What It’s like To Live with A Criminal Record
In a piece recently published by the Center for American Progress, one criminal justice advocate speaks out on the lifelong consequences of having a criminal record, and how making one nonviolent mistake, even many years earlier and after having done your time, can forever rob you of your rights. The piece was written in… Read More »
New York’s Record Sealing Law Can Change Lives
In a story recently covered by Queens News and Community, one Queens resident described her anticipation for the ‘clean slate’ she hopes New York’s new record sealing law will provide after getting in trouble with the law once while she was in high school. The episode sadly altered the course of her life. After… Read More »
Getting Your Record Sealed Is Important—Now More Than Ever
What exactly does it mean that New York has a new law on the books which makes many misdemeanors and some felonies eligible for record-sealing? It means that the conviction won’t appear during a background check, nor can it be made available to the public. It also means that hundreds of thousands of people… Read More »
The “Perpetual Punishment” That Can Come From a Criminal Record
WSKG (New York) recently featured an important piece about the “perpetual punishment” that results from having a criminal record. In it, the author and host of the podcast Decarcerate discusses not only the tangible consequences—such as losing employment opportunities—but the other effects that are often less visible, such as the re-traumatization when someone’s criminal… Read More »
