NCJ Number
248105
Journal
Legislation and Public Policy Volume: 6 Dated: 2013 Pages: 963-997
Date Published
2013
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This article examines the long-term and often permanent adverse impact of criminal records on individuals of color and their families and communities of color.
Abstract
The article focuses on two of the most intractable adverse effects of a criminal record: the ability to obtain housing and employment. The legal barriers to obtaining housing are found in the provisions of various laws and regulations that prevent individuals with criminal records from living in government-assisted housing or from working in a wide range of jobs. The non-legal barriers exist in the policies of landlords and employers, who exclude individuals with criminal records from living in their apartments or working for their businesses. People with low incomes and people of color disproportionately bear these weights of a criminal record. In order to address these issues, this article proposes a redemption-focused approach to criminal records. This approach recognizes that individuals can overcome the behaviors and attitudes that brought them in conflict with the law and do not deserve to be saddled with ongoing consequences for their law violations. The article calls for expanding laws that allow individuals to remove their criminal records from public access, since it handicaps them in efforts to build a life of constructive contributions to the community while experiencing self-worth and personal fulfillment. 169 notes