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October 11 2016

University of Chicago Study Suggest that Ban-The-Box Has Unintended Consequences

"Recently, many cities and states have passed ""Ban-the-Box"" (BTB) policies, which restrict employers from asking about applicants ' criminal histories on job application forms. BTB is meant to open doors to employment for people with criminal records and is often presented as a means of reducing unemployment among black men, who have records at disproportionate rates. One concern is that depriving employers of individual criminal record information before the interview stage could lead them to statistically discriminate on the basis of race or other characteristics like education or employment history. We investigate BTB 'seffects on discrimination in initial employment decisions as well as the effects of race and criminal records on employer callback rates.