President Obama Will “Ban The Box” On Former Felons Job Applications

The new initiative will increase employment opportunities for those previously convicted of non-violent crimes.

As we near the end of President Obama‘s tenure, he’s advocating for better ways to rehabilitate former felons back into society.

His latest initiative will remove the question about previous criminal history from federal job applications. The goal is not to have the person immediately eliminated from employment opportunities based on that one question. Instead, past transgressions will have to be disclosed as they move forward with the hiring process.

“There 2.2 million people behind bars in America, millions more on parole or probation. Every year we spend $80 billion to keep people incarcerated, many are non violent offenders serving unnecessarily long sentences” said the President in his weekly address.

I believe we can disturb the pipeline from under funded schools to overcrowded jails…I believe we can help those who have served their time and earned a second chance, get the support they need to become productive members of society” he added.

According to The Huffington Post Obama’s additional initiatives for former inmates re-entry into society include housing grants, as well as partnerships between local municipalities and private companies that would provide jobs and training in technology.

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