Qualified But Denied: How Policy Change Can Expand Access to Employment for Justice-Impacted New Yorkers
In the U.S., tens of thousands of laws restrict access to work for people with convictions. New York State has nearly 500 laws and regulations restricting employment opportunities for people with criminal convictions. Often, these restrictions are one-size-fits-all, without regard to the nature of the conviction and whether it relates–or not–to a specific job’s requirements. In this webinar, the Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI) and government and nonprofit partners will discuss the impact of occupational licensing restrictions on justice-impacted individuals. CJEI will present its new brief on this issue: Updating New York State’s Employment Restrictions for People with Criminal Convictions. It will also engage with practitioners who have worked to implement reforms. Learn about their analysis of these policies and their recommendations for change from the points of view of a researcher and an attorney who challenges such laws. You will also hear from a state official from Utah’s Department of Professional Licensing on the promising practices implemented there.
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Overview
In the U.S., there are tens of thousands of laws that restrict access to work for people with convictions. Research by Cornell University found that the number of federal laws limiting work access for people with convictions grew dramatically during the peak era of mass incarceration. In New York State alone, nearly 500 laws and regulations restrict employment opportunities for people with criminal convictions–generally without regard to the nature of the conviction and how it relates to job requirements.
As NYS continues implementing reforms to increase rehabilitation and reduce perpetual punishment, policymakers must examine laws and regulations restricting employment, training, and income security.
In this webinar, legal experts and researchers will share concrete policy recommendations from their latest brief, Updating New York State's Employment Restrictions for People with Criminal, Convictions that can reduce barriers to employment for people with past criminal convictions in New York State. Speakers include Co-Directors of Cornell’s Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative Tim McNutt and Matt Saleh, Jason Hoge, Reentry Legal Specialist, Criminal Justice and Education Initiative, and Deborah Blackburn, Assistant Director for the Utah Department of Commerce’s Division of Professional Licensing.
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