Push to ban crime box on job applications expands

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Push-to-ban-crime-box-on-job-applications-expands-5049663.php

San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim wants to make this question virtually obsolete on job applications in San Francisco: Have you been convicted of a crime?

Kim is proposing to expand the city's existing ban by having it include most private employers, publicly funded housing providers and city contractors.

Ten states and more than 50 cities have adopted some version of "ban the box," and a growing number of private employers are also jumping on board - earlier this year, Target announced it would strip the question from its applications. The federal government recommends that step as a best practice for all employers.

In a nation where an estimated 65 million people have a criminal history - 7 million in California alone - supporters see the proposal, dubbed the Fair Chance ordinance, as a win for not only former offenders but also society at large.

San Francisco has banned most city agencies from asking that hiring question since 2006. This year, the state of California did the same.