"Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"

Some form of that question, until recently, was almost universally part of any job application.

But a new movement, known as "ban the box," is working to make this question a thing of the past, at least on job applications. The idea behind the movement is to hold off on asking about a criminal record until after the first interview or a conditional job offer has been made. Supporters say many applicants will never get a chance at employment if they have to check off a box that effectively results in an automatic disqualification.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.

Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Employer-Paid