Serving time in prison is suppose to cancel the debt owed for social indiscretion. Unfortunately, ex-felons do not have fair access to jobs or gainful employment after being released from incarceration. They are frequently barred from work primarily due to a felony conviction.
California’s recidivism rate is the highest in the nation (71.3%). A major contribution to this problem is a lack of job opportunities.
Each month the Department of Corrections releases approximately 9,500 inmates from California’s prisons. Nearly two-thirds of those freed served time for non-violent crimes.
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity commission (EEOC) has a policy statement on conviction records. The commission recognizes that “an employer’s policy or practice of excluding individuals from employment on the basis of their conviction records has an adverse impact on ex-felons.”
Assembly bill 2727 (Re-entry Employment Opportunity Act), authorized by Assemblyman Steven Bradford (D-51), would codify the EEOC policy statement into state law by preventing employers from denying employment to an applicant solely based on a prior conviction unless
· There is a direct relationship between a criminal offense and the employment sought
· The relationship between the conviction and the employment being sought is such that granting of employment would involve an unreasonable risk to property or to the safety and welfare of the general public.
The bill aims to empower employers to determine whether a prior record would have a significant effect on future job performance, while also maintaining public safety by perform a criminal background check.
