Apple Rightfully Reconsiders Mistreatment of Former Prisoners
This past Thursday, after receiving union backlash, Apple rescinded a policy restriction that prevented construction workers from building Apple's new campus in Cupertino due to their criminal history records. Apple has now told contractors that they may consider hiring men and women with criminal history on a case-by-case basis.
Apple deserves praise for changing course, and I hope this decision will encourage other private business owners and company leaders to establish policies that advance the dignity and potential of the 65 million (or one in four) men and women with a criminal record in this country. It's the right thing to do, and it's also the smart thing to do.
Punishment Without End, a report written by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and commissioned by Justice Fellowship, discusses just how illogical and ineffective are the barriers we impose on those who have already "served their time."
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The reality is, once someone convicted of a crime has completed their sentence and has remained crime-free for a sufficient period of time, evidence shows their likelihood of committing a new crime is no greater than that of the general public. In fact, depending on the individual's age and offense, their risk to commit a new crime may actually drop below the general public's—not surprising, since someone with a conviction has faced the consequences of their actions.
Research confirms that criminal history significantly diminishes an applicant's employment prospects. This not only hinders people with criminal history from becoming self-sufficient and providing for their families, but the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) also suffers from their poor employment prospects. Simply put, by placing so many obstacles in their paths, we miss out on their positive contributions to society.
Furthermore, employment is a critical factor in reducing recidivism. Giving people who have paid their debt an attainable path toward economic opportunity pays off in both economic and public safety dividends. That's why states across the country, including California, have moved to adopt "fair chance" or "ban-the-box" policies that remove questions about criminal convictions from initial employment applications. This allows applicants to disclose the nature of a past conviction and evidence of rehabilitation later in the interview process after they have had a chance to build rapport with the prospective employer and demonstrate their qualifications.
Earning back the public's trust after committing a crime should not be an easy task, but it must be a realistic and attainable one if we want to increase public safety and achieve true restorative justice. The billions of taxpayer dollars poured into the criminal justice system amount to nothing more than a colossal waste if we don't allow men and women walking out of prison to practice the rehabilitation we seek.
I hope Apple's interest in advancing the dignity of those with a criminal record will continue to grow. The more private employers that adopt enlightened hiring policies and promote pathways to second chances, the more our communities will flourish.
Who knows? The next Steve Jobs could be sitting in a prison cell.
