Excerpted from tucsonnews.com, by Bud Foster
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed an executive order instructing all state agencies to adopt new hiring practices that don’t discriminate against people who have been arrested or been in prison.
The Governor calls it “The Second Chance” order. The state joins Pima County and Tucson which have already joined the “Ban the Box” movement.
Job applications generally ask the applicant to check a box indicating whether they have an arrest record or have been incarcerated. Frequently, those applications are never considered.
Banning the box does not mean the applicant will not have a background check or screening, only that the check will happen later in the process.
“It evens up the playing field,” said Manny Mejias, who spent 20 years in prison but is now employed full time by the Pima Prevention Partnership. “Now I can actually be seen for the merits of my abilities and my talents instead of just that box, just that check mark.”
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