Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Two recent “Ban the Box” studies conclude that the policy detrimentally affects the job prospects of young African American men who do not have conviction records, while also raising serious questions about racial profiling in the hiring process of African Americans as “criminals.”  The studies’ conclusions, which have been disputed by policy advocates and other economists, provide an opportunity to explore the divide between research, policy, and advocacy on the intersection of racism in the hiring process and the growing challenges facing the record number of Americans seeking work with an arrest or conviction record.