The Miracle Behind Amiracle4Sure

8/24/2013

Harrisburg Magazine publishes article by columnist Tianna Reid telling the story of Marsha Banks. Read the full feature click here.

Marsha Banks in feature photo by City Beat Features

1 Comment

Bob Garraty

9/9/2013 06:56:12 am

A Letter to today's WSJ says a lot to what Marsha is working on.

Jason Riley's "Jobless Blacks Should Cheer Background Checks" (op-ed, Aug. 23) suggests that "Ban the Box" initiatives to limit usage of criminal background checks in hiring practices are misguided in that they are a disservice to jobless blacks whom they seek to serve.

What this piece is missing is the concurrent issue of ensuring that people aren't denied a job based on a criminal history which bears no consequence on their potential as workers. In the same report cited by the editorial, "Perceived Criminality, Criminal Background Checks, and the Racial Hiring Practices of Employers" from the Journal of Law and Economics, about half (42.1%) of surveyed firms stated that they would "probably not" hire an applicant with any criminal record. Even worse, 19.5% of firms stated that they would "definitely not" hire an applicant with any criminal record.

The "National Longitudinal Survey of Youth" states that 30.2% of youth are arrested for a crime by age 23. In a criminal justice system that incarcerates more people than the Russian gulag did, forced criminal background checks present a serious threat to the productivity of millions of Americans, who, but for minor and mostly drug-related arrests, are perfectly capable workers. Given the current mindset of employers, which irrationally puts these applications in the "probably not" and "definitely not" bin, the legitimacy and need for criminal background checks needs to be seriously examined.

What we need to do is take a closer look at how we use the word "criminal" and what it really means. Otherwise millions of qualified Americans will be disqualified before they even apply.

Ajay Nadig

Cherry Hill, N.J.

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The Miracle Behind Amiracle4Sure

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