Prometheus 6

Quote of note:

White job applicants with criminal records seeking entry level work were more likely to receive an offer of employment than blacks with no prison record, a landmark audit of 1,500 employers in New York City has found.

References of note:

The paper referred to in the press release
NY Times story summarizing the issue: Race a Factor in Job Offers for Ex-Convicts

White Job Applicants With a Record Do Better Than Blacks With None
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The City University of New York
899 Tenth Ave., New York, N.Y., 10019

Joe Calderone, Director of Communications
Phone: 212-237-8628; Fax: 212-237-8610

Doreen Vinas, Public Relations
Phone: 212-237-8645

Communications Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

6/16/2005, 10:30:00 AM

White job applicants with criminal records seeking entry level work were more likely to receive an offer of employment than blacks with no prison record, a landmark audit of 1,500 employers in New York City has found.

Using undercover testers who made more than 3,500 visits to area employers, Princeton University sociology professors Devah Pager and Bruce Western found strong evidence of hiring discrimination by New York City employers against minority job-seekers and young men with criminal records.

The study, Äiscrimination in Low Wage Labor Markets, was the focus of a conference convened today by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice³ Prisoner Reentry Institute, run by Debbie A. Mukamal. The employment survey is the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind to date. The authors of the study were assisted by the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

During 12 months of fieldwork, more than a dozen young men posed as job applicants listing identical work and educational experience as they sought jobs as drivers, couriers, cleaners, fast food servers, deli clerks, sales reps, stockers, busboys, waiters, cashiers, and telemarketers, among others. The matched pairs of testers differed in only two crucial areas: their race and the disclosure by one of the ôesters on each team that he had a felony drug conviction. The study³ findings include:

Ex-offenders face serious barriers to employment, with a criminal record reducing positive responses from employers by 30 to 60 percent.

Young white high school graduates were about twice as likely to receive positive responses from New York employers as equally qualified black job seekers;

Black ex-offenders are at a double disadvantage, with the stigmas of both race and criminal background reducing their employment prospects;

Black job applicants (with no criminal background) were even slightly less successful than white applicants who had just been released from prison.

Often, employers are not willing to look beyond a criminal conviction, said Pager, particularly when the ex-offender is black.

John Jay College President Jeremy Travis, author of a recently released book on prisoner reentry issues, called the study an important step in documenting the multiple obstacles persons with a criminal record face as they are released back into their communities. Finding steady work is one of the most essential elements for ex-offenders who are trying to be successful and who want to stay out of prison, Travis said. Yet, as this study confirms, persons with a criminal record are up against daunting odds, especially young black men.

In New York City it is illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race or a criminal record. Ôhe results of this landmark study are deeply disturbing and highlight the need for strong enforcement of the city³ Human Rights Law, said Patricia L. Gatling, Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

Since 1972 the prison population has increased seven-fold and has affected young black men more than any other group. Research shows that one-in-three young black men with just a high school education will likely go to prison by their mid-thirties. Ôhe employment difficulties of ex-offenders deal another blow to the economic opportunities of young men of color with little schooling, Professor Pager said.

Prof. Western said the study shows more work needs to be done to convince prospective employers to give ex-offenders a chance. Íost policies addressing the employment of ex-prisoners focus on the deficits of the men coming out. We also need to build employers trust in job seekers with criminal records, stated Western.

"Connecting individuals with criminal records with quality job training programs both while they are incarcerated and when they return to their communities can begin to address the biases certain employers have in hiring people with criminal records and can demonstrate that this is an often overlooked but qualified labor supply," said Debbie Mukamal, the Director of John Jay College's Prisoner Reentry Institute.

The study matched teams of young men who posed as job applicants, applying for real job openings throughout the city, presenting equal qualifications and experience. In all cases, those who stated they had been in prison all reported a felony drug conviction and 18 months of served prison time.

The authors said that this study went beyond earlier attempts to measure employment discrimination. Previous studies have been conducted on a relatively small scale. New York City, by virtue of its size and diversity, offers a large applicant and employment pool and a wide variety of industries. Further, in a departure from previous studies that included black and white men only, this study included Latinos. Latinos accounts for 20% of New York³ labor force and are also a significant part of the low wage labor market.

The study was funded by the National Science Foundation, the JEHT (Justice, Equality, Human dignity and Tolerance) Foundation, and the Policy Research Institute for the Region at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, which also hosted the release of the study findings. The New York City Commission on Human Rights provided office space and Legal Action Center staff for the study.