In the 2015 film Ant-Man, Scott Lang is
fired from his job when his boss uncovers
his criminal past. Unable to earn an
honest living, Lang returns to a life
of crime. Now, this is not a far-fetched
scenario. Many employers are reluctant to
hire the tens of millions of Americans
with criminal or arrest records, making them
half as likely to be employed as their
demographics would suggest. Arming and
training armies of ants in order to save
the world is... not a common clear path.
Instead, sizable numbers of state and
local governments have banned the common
practice of asking job applicants about
their criminal history at the start of the
application process. Many private sector
firms have adopted similar practices
voluntarily. Research by Danny Shoag and
me shows that these policies have
increased employment in high crime
neighborhoods by some 4%, especially in
public sector and low-wage jobs. While
these policies won't make anyone a
superhero, they might just help more
Americans enjoy productive, dignified lives.
Do you think employers should be
allowed to screen job applicants on the
basis of their criminal history? Let us
know in the comments. Also, let us know
what other topics you'd like our
scholars to cover in 60 seconds, and be
sure to like and subscribe for more
research and videos from AEI.
