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                            Library & Multimedia
 Technical Advances in Background Checking and the Impact on Work Opportunities in New Jersey
NCJ Number
              305515

Author(s)
          Sarah Lageson
Date Published

November 2022
Length
              12 pages
Annotation
              This report summarizes findings from a mixed methods study of New Jersey criminal record policies and practices, identifies key issues in data quality and disclosure that might negatively affect workers, and examines the types of industries and workers that are most impacted by criminal records and background checking.
Abstract
              In this report, the author empirically assesses the state of criminal record systems in New Jersey (NJ), examines the impact of criminal records on employment, and provides recommendations on how NJ might ensure that many qualified workers who have some type of criminal record are not barred from employment. The author discusses several key factors that have impacted labor practices, including the growth of big data background checking industry, growth in the number of people with criminal records, issues with background check accuracy, and employment discrimination based on criminal records. Policy recommendations to address these factors include: making access to one’s own criminal record available at no cost to the individual to ensure accuracy; reclassifying pre-conviction records such as arrest logs and photos as confidential until there has been a criminal conviction; and regulating criminal record data and background check companies. The also author suggests, considering the nature of these issues and their potential resolutions, that NJ has an opportunity to expand its labor force by regulating criminal record information, educating employers, and ensuring workers have a pathway to expungement.
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2017-IJ-CX-0036


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Technical)


  
  
        
  Award
        Multi-level Analyses of Accuracy and Error in Digital Criminal Record Data
    
  
  
Date Published: November 11, 2022
    
          Downloads
        
                      PDF

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