'Ban-The-Box' Laws Aimed At Helping Ex-Cons Get Jobs

04:34

January 13, 2014

Because he did time for obtaining prescription painkillers illegally, Michael Urbank says he can't even get a job interview. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

There are 65 million Americans with a criminal record. With most employers now running background checks, those ex-convicts often struggle to land a job.

In hopes of changing that, more than 50 cities have passed “ban-the-box” laws — so-called because many job applications contain a box to check if one has a criminal record.

In 2011, Philadelphia joined them. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Holly Otterbein of WHYY looks at how the law is working.

Read more on this story via WHYY

Reporter

Holly Otterbein, reporter for WHYY in Philadelphia. She tweets @hollyotterbein.

This segment aired on January 13, 2014.