In the United States, the mass incarceration of minority communities, and the resulting mass reentry and lifetime collateral consequences have created the "perfect storm" to ensure that criminal record based employment discrimination serves as a surrogate for race-based discrimination. Jobseekers with criminal records are often at the "back of the line", and in the current economy, that line has grown considerably. But on April 25, 2012, in a 4 to 1 bi-partisan vote, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) showed tremendous leadership and courage by issuing a revised guidance encouraging the hiring of individuals with records by clarifying the application of Title VII to criminal records. This decision gives jobseekers with criminal records a renewed opportunity to successfully enter the labor market.
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