Local men leading the push to 'ban the box'

PITTSBURGH — There’s a push in western Pennsylvania to remove the question from job applications that asks about prior criminal convictions.

Pittsburgh natives Darrick Currington and Krishaun Davis are both eager to be part of the local workforce. They have applied for jobs, and in some cases been hired. But, they said, the job opportunities vanish when employers learn both are ex-felons.

"There were some situations where I told employers I'd work two weeks for free, just to prove myself,” Davis said.

Numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections show about 18,000 inmates are released every year. Each one is faced with the challenge of finding work.

"My criminal record just, it just kept coming up as an issue regardless of the fact that I had gained some credentials with the vocational school,” Davis said.

These men, and many others, have served their time behind bars and are ready to move on with their lives.

"Some of those mistakes are not, or should not prevent them from creating a new life,” said Tim Stevens, chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project, or B-PEP.

That’s why organizations including the B-PEP, the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are encouraging employers to “ban the box,” or remove from job applications the questions asking about prior convictions.

“If I check 'no' and the background check comes back 'yes,' then I'm labeled dishonest,” Davis said. “And if I check 'yes,' I'm disqualified."

Supporters say banning the box increases the pool of job candidates, can help diversify the workforce and gives ex-offenders a fair shot at an interview.

"You also have an opportunity to find out who they are otherwise, and what else they have done on the positive side of life,” Stevens said.

Supporters said it can also help address the roots of violence in our communities.

"I see on the news  all of these shootings every day,” Currington said. “That comes from people getting out and trying to jump back in and because they don't have any opportunity to do anything different, so they come back to the same thing."

Both Currington and Davis are pressing on with their job searches, and they hope they can help others avoid the hard lessons life has taught them.

"Just don't close the door on us,” Davis said. “Give us a chance. You'd be surprised by what you get. It'll be something great."

Cox Media Group