The Benefits of Ban the Box: A Case Study of Durham, NC

Justice System Reform
The Benefits of Ban the Box: A Case Study of Durham, NC is a report that outlines how the Ban the Box movement has positively impacted Durham communities

Published May 2, 2016.

For many job applicants around the country, one question blocks them from gainful employment and economic opportunity. A single question, often posed as a checkbox on the front of most job applications, asks about an applicant’s criminal history. For many employers, it has become a way to weed out applicants before ever considering qualifications such as education and job history. This practice is widespread, and its effects on job applicants and their communities are staggering. A movement to “Ban the Box” (remove the checkbox from applications) was birthed as a response to the structural discrimination faced by people with criminal records.

This report details:

  1. the need for Ban the Box policies in communities directly impacted by mass incarceration;
  2. the history and core strategy of the Ban the Box movement;
  3. how Ban the Box polices increase the tax base, reduce recidivism, and expand the qualified applicant pool for employers;
  4. the critical components of the campaign in Durham, North Carolina; and
  5. the employment outcomes since adoption of Ban the Box policies in Durham.

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