Second Chance Hiring
Creating opportunities for employers to hire - and retain -
skilled, motivated, formerly incarcerated folks.
A Staggering Growth in Criminal
Justice Involvement
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As of 2016, the U.S. prison population is the largest in the world.
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The U.S. accounts for less than 5 percent of the world’s population, but nearly 25 percent of its inmates.
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Annually, over 600,000 people leave state and federal prisons and reenter society.
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From 1973 to 2014, the average state and federal prison population in the U.S. rose steadily from about 200,000 to slightly over 1.5 million.
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Local jails hold another 700,000 people, bringing the total number of inmates across the country to approximately 2.2 million.
The Impact of Criminal Records
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Criminal records create serious challenges to employment, even for those with minor offenses or errors on their records. The most common problem is hiring discrimination, but it also affects pay and the quality of jobs available.
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Even with recent reforms, laws often reinforce these challenges. For example, many professions exclude people with criminal records through licensing rules.
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Since so many people are affected, these penalties contribute to broader social and economic inequality.
Who is Affected Most?
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Prison populations are disproportionately black, so black workers are more likely to have criminal records.
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Incarceration is linked to mental health conditions and disabilities, making reentry into the workforce even harder.
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Beyond jobs, criminal records can block access to housing, public benefits, and other resources needed to rebuild lives.
The Beyond the Box Certification moves beyond “banning the box:” the process of removing criminal history questions from job applications. Instead, the Certification’s holistic and customized approach works to ensure a welcoming, supportive, and fair workplace for all employees, including those with a criminal background.
The Certification offers data-driven technical assistance to employers in three key areas:
1. policies
2. procedures
3. workplace culture
This approach has positive ripple effects throughout the company. It’s an HR upgrade that leads to enhanced hiring, retention, and workplace culture.
Resources:
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The Second Chance Business Coalition
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The Business Council of New York State's Second Chance Initiatives
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​The NY State Assembly's Clean Slate Act
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​NYS Unified Court System's Clean Slate Act
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NYS Work for Success
Learn More:
includes information on financial support:​
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Work Opportunity Tax Credit
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Your business can earn the WOTC federal tax credit when you hire disadvantaged candidates. This includes when you hire a new employee with a previous felony conviction. The maximum tax credit for each new hire is $2,400. To be eligible for the full credit, the employee must work at least 400 hours during the tax year. You may be eligible for a partial credit for eligible employees who work at least 120 hours.
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No-Cost Bonding
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You and your business can be insured for free by the federal government for up to $25,000 for any loss of money or property.
Meet URO's Beyond the Box Working Group:
Dr. Paula Ioanide
Rise to Equity Excellence LLC
THOMAS T. JONES
Fair Employment Practice Specialist
MILR, Cornell University
Betsye Violette
Associate Director of Student Services, Cornell Prison Education Program
Co-Founder, Remark Navigation
IAN Greer
Director, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations; Ithaca Co-Lab Health
Jackie Mouillesseaux
Bridge to Employment Program Consultant, Employee Experience, Division of Human Resources, Cornell University
BRUCE FLAHERTY
Employment Specialist, Tompkins County Whole Health PROS