Gov. Rick Snyder
Things keep looking up for convicted felons looking for a new start after prison. First was the new nomenclature of "returning citizens" for post-prison offenders, and now even Gov. Rick Snyder is helping out.
On Friday Snyder is signing an executive order to "ban the box," i.e., omit the check box on state job applications that asks if the applicant has ever been conviced of a felony, The Detroit News reports.
While a criminal history review could still happen later in the hiring process, state departments will not be able to use criminal history as an initial screen for applicants.
Snyder is also announcing that the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has removed all criminal history questions from licensing applications, except when required under state or federal law.
Applicants — primarily in skilled trades professions that require occupational licenses — will instead be asked to attest to their ability to serve the public and their rehabilitation from any former offenses.
The move is generally seen, in corrections-reform circles, as a step forward in making it easier for ex-cons to re-enter their communities. The complaint has always been that a felony criminal record, which may be for a non-violent offense, or one committed many years ago, permanently dooms an individual to a lifetime of low-wage, dead-end jobs that make returning to a life of crime that much more tempting.
"I think it's important to be a role model," the governor said. "If you're going to advocate for others to do it, we should be doing it ourselves."
The move was praised by both the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, groups from opposite sides of hte political spectrum. Corrections reform in general has been one that liberals and conservatives find common ground on.