Ban the box / fair-chance hiring
Laws restricting when and how an employer may ask about or use criminal history.
In more detail
Named for the checkbox on job applications. More than 37 states, DC and over 150 cities and counties have some form of fair-chance policy; fourteen states reach private employers. Four-fifths of the US population lives in a covered jurisdiction. Requirements typically include delaying the inquiry until after a conditional offer, conducting an individualised assessment, and giving notice before adverse action.
Why it matters to you
If an employer asked too early, applied too long a lookback, or rejected you without the individualised assessment your jurisdiction requires, that is a violation you can act on.
What to do
Check both your state rule and your city rule — local ordinances are frequently stricter.
- Clean Slate law
A state law that seals eligible criminal records automatically, without the person applying.
- Adverse action notice
The notice an employer must send before and after rejecting you because of a background check.
- FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act)
The federal law governing companies that assemble consumer reports, including background checks.