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Overview
Data squarely document the disproportionate number of young African American males involved in the U.S. criminal justice system. Job discrimination against people with criminal records also disproportionately affects the African American community. Recent work by the New York City Human Rights Commission and scholars at Princeton University shows that minority males with criminal records face a double discrimination in job markets that whites-even those with records-do not face. In the study, white males with a felony criminal record were more likely to be hired for entry-level jobs than black males with no criminal record in New York City.
Some Commissions are already educating employers about these patterns and encouraging them to extend opportunities to individuals who have completed criminal sentences. Strategies include use of federal bonding, reintroducing college courses in prisons, and developing programs in which ex-offenders can earn certificates of rehabilitation. In New York City, a statute forbids employment discrimination based on an applicant's criminal record. Armed with the findings from the Princeton study and the anti-discrimination statute, the New York City Commission on Human Rights is currently working to identify ways to address this problem through enforcement and institutional reform, moving beyond employer education. The Executive Session will publish a case study documenting these efforts in the next year.
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