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County bans the (criminal background) box

County bans the (criminal background) box

Job applicants to Allegheny County will no longer have to check a box indicating whether they have been convicted of a crime.

Beginning Jan. 1, the county will join a growing number of governments that won’t ask on the initial application whether someone has a criminal record. Instead, the county will indicate in job advertisements whether someone has to go through a criminal background check for the job and, if the applicant receives and accepts a job offer, the background check will be performed.

Laura Zaspel, director of the county’s Department of Human Resources, said in a news release Monday that eliminating the question on the initial application increases the pool of job candidates and the opportunity to diversify the workforce. Critics say employers who ask about a criminal background often eliminate from consideration any applicant who admits it.

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“As a public sector employer, we should be open-minded when it comes to an employee’s past if it is not at issue with their position in the county, but also need to guarantee that public safety is a priority,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.

“Taking this step allows us to accomplish both of those goals while also broadening opportunities within the county.”

The program, known nationally as “Ban the Box,” will not apply to jobs in the Allegheny County Jail, Allegheny County Police, the Department of Human Services, Kane Regional Centers, Shuman Detention Center and Allegheny County Emergency Services because there are legal requirements in those jobs.

Across the country, more than 80 governments, including Pittsburgh, have eliminated asking about an applicant’s criminal background on job applications.

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First Published: November 25, 2014, 5:00 a.m.

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