Harris County leaders on Tuesday adopted a policy that will ban most county departments from asking about a job applicant's criminal history.
County Attorney Christian Menefee — who proposed the program — called this "banning the box," a reference to the box on county employment applications where applicants must check whether they have a criminal record.
Menefee said the question of a criminal record frequently discourages many otherwise-qualified job seekers from even applying since some potential employers immediately discard candidates with non-violent criminal records.
"It will prohibit departments from considering an applicant's record of arrest if that arrest did not result in a conviction, or if it did and it was expunged or sealed, or it's a misdemeanor for which no jail time can be sentenced," Menefee said.
The policy will allow departments to do a criminal background check and consider that check only after a conditional offer of employment has been made. Menefee said that when the background check is done later in the process, potential employers are more likely to consider the context of the applicant's record, as well as their relevant skills and experience.
"The policy will prohibit blanket disqualification of applicants solely because they have a conviction," Menefee said. "Instead, what it's going to call for is an individualized assessment of various factors, including what was the nature of the offense. What is the position that the applicant is...
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