Ban-the-Box legislation covering private-sector employers has become more common in cities and states in recent years. At the beginning of this year, an ordinance in St. Louis took effect that prohibited private-sector employers with more than ten employees from asking job applicants about their criminal history during the initial job application Understanding Ban-the-Box Policies The […]

A class action lawsuit against New York Life alleges misuse of past arrest records in making employment decisions. In a summary of the claim in the court document Class Action Alleges Black Applicants Disproportionately Harmed by New York Life Insurance Co. Background Checks it states: This case challenges Defendant New York Life Insurance Company’s (“New […]

Findings from a new report from the Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General emphasize the need to continue to perform criminal background checks. This report  shows that the state’s efforts to reduce recidivism, a tendency to relapse into a previous mode of behavior especially into criminal behavior, so far have not been effective. The […]

One recent case in Austin shines a light on why employee background checks are so critical. A former employee of the Austin Public Library was taken to court for purchasing and stealing over $1.3 million in printer toner to resell online, on top of using city credit cards to purchase over $18,000 worth of items […]

We work with many organizations to advise on what to include and how to evaluate background checks on prospective and current employees. However, background checks are only useful if you know what to include and how to evaluate background checks and the results. Here’s what you should include and why and what to look for […]