President Obama should end employment discrimination against former prisoners who have been released and are looking for a job, civil rights activists say.
{mosads}The advocates are delivering a “ban the box” petition to the White House signed by more than 130,000 people, asking Obama to issue an executive order that prohibits federal agencies and government contractors from screening out people with criminal records in the early stages of the hiring process.
“Despite calls throughout his presidency, President Obama has yet to take executive action against the employment discrimination that formerly incarcerated individuals face after they have served their time,” the petition reads.
Ex-convicts are 50 percent less likely to find employment than other job seekers, the activists say, which makes them more likely to fall back into a life of crime.
This affects minorities at a higher rate, because black and Hispanic people are more likely to be locked up for nonviolent crimes than white people, the activists say.