Alabama Moves Closer to “Banning the Box”

As Alabama tackles prison reform, Sen. Quinton Ross (D-Montgomery) helped convicted felons take one step closer to rebuilding their lives by being able to compete for better jobs.

Senate Bill 327, sponsored by Ross will allow Alabama to join nearly 20 states in banning the box requiring state job and licensure applicants to indicate if they have been convicted of a crime.

By removing the box, which requires them to readily identify their criminal history on state job applications, these individuals will be more likely to have a fair chance to interview for a job once they have served their debt to society.

“By asking that question, the state is forcing these individuals to serve a second sentence of joblessness,” said Senate Minority Leader Quinton T. Ross Jr. “I’m sponsoring this bill so that we can make a real impact on prison reform in our state.

By Banning the Box we can reduce our recidivism rates by offering impacted individuals an opportunity to secure gainful employment.”

Like other states, this bill allows applicants to wait until a job has been offered before they must disclose their criminal history to the employer. Therefore, giving the applicant an opportunity to explain his or her individual situation, to a perspective employer, who already has identified him or her as the best applicant for a job.

“This evens the playing field for all state applicants,” Ross said.

The bill received favorable approval from the Judiciary Committee by a voice vote on April 6 and is ready to be assigned to the Senate Calendar to be debated on the Senate Floor.

To date, a total of 19 states have “Banned the Box” for state job applications.

In 2015 alone, Georgia, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Virginia all passed similar laws. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order instantly excluding the box from all state job applications.

Additionally, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico and Rhode Island already had approved this practice.

Furthermore, seven states: Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island have removed this restriction for private employers as well.