Quantifying Fair Chance Policy Implementation and Employer Engagement

Bibliographic Data

ID21373313
AuthorsJocelyn Bliven (QSIDE Institute, Department of Research, Williamstown, MA, USA), Alayna Johnson (QSIDE Institute, Department of Research, Williamstown, MA, USA), Zofia Stanley (0000-0001-8393-1668, QSIDE Institute, Department of Research, Williamstown, MA, USA, corresponding author), Chad M Topaz (0000-0001-9977-3414, QSIDE Institute, Department of Research, Williamstown, MA, USA), AARON CHALFIN (0000-0003-4810-5146, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA), Jude Higdon (QSIDE Institute, Department of Research, Williamstown, MA, USA), Tyrone Bass (QSIDE Institute, Department of Research, Williamstown, MA, USA)
Year2025
Volume105
Issue4
Pages446-471
Publication date2025-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Prison Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-8855 • E-ISSN: 1552-7522
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00328855251355496
OpenAlexW4412382822
LanguageEN
References cited8

Fair-chance hiring policies aim to expand employment opportunities for individuals with criminal records by reducing legal and systemic barriers to work. These policies include Ban-the-Box, occupational licensing reforms, record-sealing, certificates of rehabilitation, and liability protections. Despite growing adoption, their impact remains difficult to quantify due to limited data. To address this, we (1) introduce standardized metrics to assess the presence and strength of supportive policies, and the extent of legal barriers across all 50 states; and (2) measure employer engagement in fair-chance hiring by analyzing job postings. These metrics enable state-level comparisons, providing data-driven tools to advance the study of fair-chance employment

Business · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Regulation and Compliance Studies

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