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Travis County moving toward "banning the box" to boost ex-felons' employment

By Gritsforbreakfast

I'm quite proud of County Judge Sam Biscoe and Travis County officials for their visionary proposal to remove criminal history questions on most county job applications, a move designed to make it easier for ex-felons to find employment.The idea has been termed "banning the box," meaning simply removing the query from the initial questionnaire, saving a criminal background check until later in the hiring process so they're not as readily excluded from the hiring pool. Reported the Austin Statesman ("County may ease barriers to hiring ex-convicts," April 12):Sometime in the coming weeks, Travis County commissioners will likely remove the question on county job applications that asks, "have you ever been convicted of any crime?" That question would be asked later in the interview process...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on April 13, 2008 (boomark / email).