Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of Ban the Box (BTB) on employment.
- The study used a nonexperimental design to compare the employment outcomes of individuals in areas that adopted BTB policies with the employment of individuals in areas that did not adopt BTB policies. The authors conducted statistical models using monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) data from 2004 to 2014 to compare the outcomes of treatment and comparison group members.
- The study found that Ban the Box policies significantly decreased the likelihood of employment among Black men (aged 25-34) with no college degree.
- This study receives a moderate evidence rating. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Ban the Box (BTB), but other factors might also have contributed.
Intervention Examined
Ban the Box (BTB)
Features of the Intervention
Ban the Box (BTB) policies prevent employers from asking about a job applicants criminal record until late in the hiring process (when they are about to make a job offer). The first BTB law was implemented in Hawaii in 1998. Under President Obama, the federal government "banned the box" on all applications for federal jobs. As of December 2015, 34 states and D.C. had passed similar BTB legislation. There are three different versions of BTB legislation: one which applies to public employers; one which applies to those with government contracts; and those that apply to all private employers. The study aimed primarily to look at the effects of a jurisdiction having any BTB policy, however they also looked at the differential effects by policy type. The program's target population was non-college educated men between the ages of 25 and 34.
Features of the Study
The study used a nonexperimental design with a comparison group analysis to examine the impact of Ban the Box (BTB) on employment. The authors used monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) data from 2004 to 2014. The treatment group consisted of CPS respondents who lived in a metropolitan statistical area or state which had implemented a ban the box policy. Those in the comparison group lived in a metropolitan statistical area or state that did not have any implemented ban the box policies at the time of data collection. This study sample includes 855,772 men from across the United States. Of the sample, 503,419 men did not have a college degree. Within the subset that did not have a college degree, 12% were Black, 14% were Hispanic and the remaining were White. Forty-six percent of the sample lived in areas that had implemented ban the box policies. Those who live in areas that have implemented ban the box policies were not randomly distributed and were more likely to live in urban areas. The authors used statistical models to compare employment outcomes of treatment and comparison group members.
Findings
Employment
- The study found that Black men between the ages of 25 and 34 without a college degree were significantly less likely to be employed after a BTB policy was implemented in their labor market of residence.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a well-implemented nonexperimental design. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Ban the Box (BTB), and not to other factors.