Millions of people in the United States have a criminal conviction and are searching for work. But most employers are reluctant to hire people with records, especially those with felony convictions, a disproportionate share of whom are people of color. In a new study, researchers sought to determine whether government-provided incentives could reduce employers’ reluctance to hire record holders. They found that a tax credit and insurance against losses boosted hiring managers’ willingness to hire applicants with prior records.
Millions of people in the United States have a criminal conviction and are searching for work. But most employers are reluctant to hire people with records, especially those with felony convictions, a disproportionate share of whom are people of color. In a new study, researchers sought to determine whether government-provided incentives could reduce employers’ reluctance to hire record holders. They found that a tax credit and insurance against losses boosted hiring managers’ willingness to hire applicants with prior records.
The study, by researchers at RAND and the University at Albany, appears in Criminology & Public Policy.
“Although society benefits when people with criminal records work, employers are often hesitant to hire them”, explains Shawn Bushway, a senior policy researcher at the RAND and a professor at the University at Albany (SUNY), who led the study. “We tested whether this reluctance could be reduced with direct incentives that lower the cost of employing people with records or that compensate employers for the associated risk.
