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Metal Wheel Concept (iStock photo Photo credit: EtiAmmos).

disturbing pattern of discrimination in as “a strategic business decision to not In short: Johns Hopkins Hospital has
the number of interview callback rates. overlook the best talent—even if that demonstrated to the business commu-
Specifically, applicants without crimi- means hiring someone who needs a sec- nity that it is possible (and even profit-
nal records received 61 percent more ond chance.” Moreover, Hopkins’ hir- able) to engage ex-offenders as impor-
callbacks than applicants with criminal ing efforts have achieved fairly impres- tant human capital assets. If BTB policy
records. The employment landscape for sive results. Of the approximately 500 had been available to the two confer-
ex-offenders appears rather grim. ex-offenders it hired over the past five ence attendees, they might not have
years, all have shown higher retention gone without employment for so long.
However, there are good reasons to
be hopeful. Following the Baltimore rates than non-offenders for their first Both men have gained meaningful
riots in 2015, The Washington Post notes 40 months of employment. This repre- employment (one was even admitted to
that Johns Hopkins Hospital made a sents a tremendous business opportu- a top MBA graduate program), but only
concerted effort to hire 174 people with nity, considering hospital staff turnover after relocating to two different Ban
criminal backgrounds, referring to it rates hovered around 17.1 percent the Box states. And to think, there are
nationally in 2015. thousands of people across the United
States living without access to any BTB
protections. For their sake, we must
America’s prison and jail continue the push for BTB nation-
ally, so that Ban the Box means second
populations have increased from chances for all!

300,000 people in 1970 to 2.2

million in 2012… the United

States “now accounts for less

than 5 percent of the world’s

population…but 25 percent of

its incarcerated inhabitants.” Jakari Griffith is Assistant Professor in the
Department of Management.

30 Bridgewater Review