U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here's how you know
        Here's how you knowDot gov**Official websites use .gov**
              
              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        Https**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock** (   A locked padlock
 ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.  **
Menu


    close

        
        
                        
  
          Home
      
    
              How NIC can help
      
                
  
          **I need Training or Courses**
               Free e-courses available 24/7
              
      
                
  
          NIC Training Programs
          In-person and blended trainings
      
    
              I need Technical Assistance
          Guidance, support, advice, assessment, and/or customized training
      
    
              I'm looking for Information Assistance
          NIC publications, DVDs, FAQs, and more
      
    
              **I need other assistance from NIC**
              
      
                
  
          NIC Helpdesk
      
    
              Connect with other Corrections Professionals
          NIC Community Forums
      
    
              Funding Opportunities
          Cooperative Agreements and more
      
    
              Resources
      
                
  
          **News and Events**
              
      
                
  
          Conferences
      
    
              NIC Events
      
    
              NIC News & Media Releases
      
    
              Subscribe to NIC's News & Announcements
          Emails with NIC's latest news and initiatives
      
    
              NIC Quarterly Newsletter Archive
      
    
              **Featured Resources**
              
      
                
  
          Resources for Corrections Professionals
          Resources about correctional topics
      
    
              Topics
          Focused areas of research for Corrections Professionals
      
    
              NIC's e-courses
      
    
              Hot Topics
          Answers to questions about NIC services & resources
      
    
              FAQs
          Frequently Asked Questions
      
    
              **NIC Library**
              
      
                
  
          Search the Library Collection
      
    
              Ask a Librarian
      
    
              Free eBooks
      
    
              Sign in to the EBSCOhost Research Platform
          Free research resources provided by NIC
      
    
              Webinars and Broadcasts
          Streaming Video of NIC Trainings
      
    
              US State Statistics
          Statistics Information about US Corrections
      
    
              About NIC
      
                
  
          **About the Agency**
              
      
                
  
          Mission
      
    
              Staff Directory
      
    
              Reports to the Nation
      
    
              Funding Opportunities
      
    
              History of NIC
      
    
              Advisory Board
      
    
              **Divisions**
              
      
                
  
          Academy Division
      
    
              Community Services Division
      
    
              Jails Division
      
    
              Prisons Division
      
    
              **Strategic Plan**
              
      
                
  
          Subscribe to NIC's News & Announcements
          Emails with NIC's latest news and initiativesMy Cart
                                
                          
        
                Log in Home
                                    Resources
                                    Resources By Area of Practice
                                    Topics In Corrections
                                    Redemption & Certificates of Rehabilitation

      

                    
          
    Redemption & Certificates of Rehabilitation
**Redemption**
the process of lifting the burden of the prior record. (Blumstein and Nakamura, 2010)

**Certificates of Rehabilitation**
The Certificate serves as an official document to demonstrate an individual’s rehabilitation, which could result in enhanced employment opportunities.
(also referred to as Restoration of Rights or Certificate of Relief from Disabilities or Certificate of Good Conduct)
                   Topic Categories and Resources
The following grey bars are accordions that can be expanded to show a list of "top-shelf" resources that have been hand-picked by our library team around this topic. If you would like additional research assistance on this topic, please contact our help desk. They have access to specialized databases and thousands of resources you won't find online. Click on a grey box below to browse resources in that section.
            
      Accordion    Alternative Strategies for Reintegration
      
      Ban the Box, Criminal Records, and Racial Discrimination: A Field Experiment (2018)
              Ban the Box and Beyond (2017)
              ‘Ban the Box’ Movement Scores Win in America’s Most Incarcerated State (2017)
              Racial Profiling in Hiring: A Critique of New "Ban the Box" Studies (2016)
              Ban the Box, Criminal Records, and Statistical Discrimination: A Field Experiment (2016)
              Ban the Box: U.S. Cities, Counties, and States Adopt Fair-Chance Policies to Advance Employment Opportunities for People with Past Convictions (2016)
              Accordion    Criminal History Records & Employment
      
      The Impact of Employment Restriction Laws on Illinois’ Convicted Felons (2016)
              Legislating Forgiveness: A Study of Post-Conviction Certificates as Policy to Address the Employment Consequences of a Conviction (2016)
              Beyond the Box (2016)
              Criminal Background and Job Performance (2016)
              Unlicensed & Untapped: Removing Barriers to State Occupational Licenses for People with Records (2016)
              Recruitment, Selection, and Placement (General) and Suitability (2016)
              Conducting Background Checks for Employee Selection (2016)
              HireRight Employment Screening Benchmark Report (2016)
              Strategies for Full Employment Through Reform of the Criminal Justice System (2015)
              Criminal Records, Race and Redemption (2014)
              Accordion    In the News
      
      Iowa Officials Seek to Help Inmates with New Certificate (2016)
              Wash. Governor Wants To Eliminate Barriers To Employment For Former Prisoners (2016)
              Labels Like 'Felon' Are an Unfair Life Sentence (2016)
              Judge Gleeson issues a “federal certificate of rehabilitation” (2016)
              The Lawsuit to Keep Virginia's Felons From Voting (2016)
              Training Helps Inmates Build A Bridge To Life Outside Prison Walls (2016)
              Accordion    Legislation
      
      Relief in Sight? States Rethink the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Conviction, 2009-2014

            
      
"For millions of Americans, the legal and life-restricting consequences of a criminal conviction continue even after they’ve repaid their debt to society as barriers to voting, housing, jobs, education, and a raft of social services limit their ability to provide for their families and successfully
  
      National Inventory of Collateral Consequences (2016)
              Managing Collateral Consequences in the Sentencing Process: The Revised Sentencing Articles of the Model Penal Code (2015)
              REDEEM Act - Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act (2015)
              The EEOC’s 2012 Criminal Records Guidance Act (2012)
              Accordion    Research
      
      Extension of Current Estimates of Redemption Times: Robustness Testing, Out-of-State Arrests, and Racial Differences

            
      
“As information technology has increased the accessibility of criminal-history records, and concern for negligent-hiring lawsuits has grown, criminal background checking has become an important part of the hiring process for most employers. As a result, there is a growing concern that a large number
  
      Expungement of Criminal Convictions: An Empirical Study (2019)
              The Effectiveness of Certificates of Relief as Collateral Consequence Relief Mechanisms: An Experimental Study (2016)
              The Price We Pay: Economic Costs of Barriers to Employment for Former Prisoners and People Convicted of Felonies (2016)
              Redemption Research in the Criminal Justice System (2016)
              Does a Criminal Past Predict Worker Performance? Evidence from America’s Largest Employer (2016)
              Researchers Develop Method for Computing “Redemption” Time (2010)
              Potential of Redemption in Criminal Background Checks (2010)
              Enduring Risk? Old Criminal Records and Short-Term Predictions of Criminal Involvement (2006)
              The Predictive Value of Criminal Background Checks: Do Age and Criminal History Affect Time to Redemption?
              Accordion    Restoration of... (Voting, Identification, Housing)
      
      Relief in Sight? States Rethink the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Conviction, 2009-2014

            
      
"For millions of Americans, the legal and life-restricting consequences of a criminal conviction continue even after they’ve repaid their debt to society as barriers to voting, housing, jobs, education, and a raft of social services limit their ability to provide for their families and successfully
  
      Locked Out 2022: Estimates of People Denied Voting Rights (2022)
              Eligible, but excluded: A guide to removing the barriers to jail voting (2020)
              The Many Roads to Reintegration A 50-State Report on Laws Restoring Rights and Opportunities After Arrest or Conviction (2020)
              Second Chance Reforms in 2017: Roundup of new expungement and restoration laws (2017)
              Paper Reviews Recidivism Research to Help Housing Providers with Admissions Policies (2017)
              Reinstating Common Sense: How driver’s license suspensions for drug offenses unrelated to driving are falling out of favor (2016)
              6 Million Lost Voters: State-Level Estimates of Felony Disenfranchisement (2016)
              Certificates of Rehabilitation (2016)
              State Identification: Reentry Strategies for State and Local Leaders (2016)
              FAQs: Excluding the Use of Arrest Records in Housing Decisions (2015)
              Restoration of Rights

Contacts for this content
          NIC Information Center
      
  Job Title / Position
              Information Specialists

Agency / Business / Organization
              National Institute of Corrections

            Contact the NIC Helpdesk

Topics
          Redemption
                    Collateral consequences

  Audiences served by this initiative
          Community Services
          Jails
          Prisons Return to top

      About NIC

About the Agency
	Divisions
	Staff Directory
	Contact NIC

NIC Services

Training
	Technical Assistance
	Corrections Forums
	Subscribe to NIC News

Resources

Resources by Role
	Resources by Topic
	NIC News
	NIC Events
  
      Agency logo
              
                              National Institute of Corrections
        
                  NIC Legal Policies and DisclaimersNIC Privacy Policy and DisclaimersPlain Language PolicyAccessibility PolicyDOJ Links:Justice.govOpen GovernmentLegal Policies and DisclaimersInformation QualityPrivacy PolicySmall BusinessOffice of the Inspector GeneralBudget and PerformanceFOIANo FEAR Act DataVulnerability Disclosure PolicyVote.govHave a question about government services? Contact USA.govFollow NIC on X
the National institute of corrections governmental seal