"After the Sentence, More Consequences: A National Report of Barriers to Work"

The title of this post is the title of this notable new report authored by Chidi Umez and Joshua Gaines of the Council for State Government Justice Center.  Here is its introduction:

The negative effects of a conviction rarely end when a person has completed their criminal sentence.  A complex web of local, state, and federal statutes and regulations—known as collateral consequences of conviction — can make it all but impossible for some people with criminal records to truly rebuild their lives.  While these consequences can affect everything from housing to public benefit eligibility, no area is more impacted than the ability to find and retain meaningful employment.  Some of these barriers to work may be responsive to legitimate public safety concerns, but many others pose unnecessary barriers to employment opportunities that are critical in reducing recidivism and supporting the long-term success of people in the justice system.

In this report, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center presents a national overview of the scope, features, and operation of the employment-related collateral consequences imposed by state and federal law.  The data were gathered from the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC), a searchable online database that catalogs these provisions across the country.  This analysis also provides a blueprint for policymakers seeking to mitigate the impact of these increasingly significant barriers to work.