(New Haven, Connecticut? Isn't that Chris Dodd's state? That self-righteous,
moralizing, finger wagging, fuckin' Chris Dodd's state?


I am shocked..........SHOCKED! to learn that there is crime in the state of
Connecticut!


Some cities drop criminal-history question - Crime & courts- msnbc.comSkip


Move intended to help more convicts find work, reduce recidivism

Bob Child / AP

updated 2:12 p.m. PT, Mon., Jan. 5, 2009


NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Hoping to prevent convicts from being shut out of the work
force, some major U.S. cities are eliminating questions from their job
applications that ask whether prospective employees have ever been convicted
of a crime.



Most of the cities still conduct background checks after making conditional
job offers, but proponents say the new approach will help more convicts find
work and reduce the likelihood they will commit new crimes.
"This makes sense in terms of reducing violence. The amount of recidivism
(committing crimes again) in this population is dramatic, and it has taken a
toll on this community," said John DeStefano, mayor of New Haven, where
officials recently proposed a so-called "ban the box" ordinance
that drops the
criminal-history question from job applications.


Similar measures have been adopted in recent years in Boston, Chicago,
Minneapolis, Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland, Calif., and Norwich, Conn. Los
Angeles and other cities are considering doing so.


Some cities such as Chicago continue to conduct criminal background checks for
all positions. Others such as Boston do so only when reviewing applicants for
school jobs or other sensitive duties.


Life after prison


In New Haven, 25 former prisoners arrive each week after being released.
Without help, about 10 of them will return to a life of crime, officials said.

The city has some 5,000 residents on probation or parole.


New Haven's existing application asks whether prospective employees have ever
been convicted of anything other than minor traffic violations or juvenile
offenses.


Shelton Tucker, a New Haven resident who served five years in prison for
assault with a firearm, said he has lost countless job opportunities because
of his record.


"There were some times I was tempted to go back to my old way of making
money," Tucker said. "I fell off the wagon a few times. You get stuck with
this decision of telling the truth and possibly never being called or lying to
get the job and losing it later."


Tucker, who was recently laid off from a glass company because of the weak
economy, said eliminating the criminal-history question would encourage more
people to apply for jobs. But, he said, the policy will not solve the problem,
noting that criminal background checks would still be conducted.


"In a way it's just window dressing," Tucker said.





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*Durango b301 #PE*