Action NC Ban The Box

For A Second Chance
& Fair Employment:
Ban the Box

Why is it important?
There are over 1.6 million people in N.C. with a criminal record. The prison population has risen to about 40,000. 98% will eventually be released. 50% of ex-offenders are sent back to prison for new crimes.
Nearly 45% of those under Department of Correction supervision are African American; this disparity is a significant challenge to communities of color. As of September, 2010 there were nearly 4,000 people in Durham County on probation or parole; add to this the thousands who have criminal records but are not under the supervision of the Department of Correction. These statistics demonstrate the tremendous number of people who face employment barriers as they seek honest, legal employment.

Why does this matter to our communities?
If families of formerly incarcerated are going to heal, prosper and contribute to our community, EVERYONE must have an opportunity for employment, housing and education. Employment is one of the most effective tools to reduce recidivism-returning to prison, resulting in a safer community and lower cost to tax payers.

What is “Ban the Box”?
The “box” is that place on many employment applications that asks whether the applicant has been convicted of a crime or been incarcerated. Some may even inquire about arrests.

What would “Ban the Box” do?
It would remove those questions from the application and the initial stage of the employment process so that those who are responsible for making hiring decisions first get an opportunity to learn about the candidate's experience, skills and personality as they relate to the position to be filled.

Does it mean no criminal background checks would be done?
Once the hiring official is prepared to offer the applicant a job or they are a finalist for the open position a criminal background check would be initiated.

How would the screening process work?
The applicant would be able to explain the nature of the crime, how long ago it was committed, when incarceration ended, successful rehabilitation efforts and certifications if available. They will also be given an opportunity to review the records to determine their accuracy. The hiring official would adhere to federal Equal Opportunity Commission guidelines and not make negative decisions when the crime is unrelated to the job duties.

Have other city and county governments made this change to their employment applications?
Many cities, counties and even states have passed ordinances that changed the application and made the process fairer. In September and August, Detroit and Cincinnati joined 21 other cities including New Haven, Boston, Jacksonville, Memphis, San Francisco and Kalamazoo. Alameda County, California and Multnomah County, Oregon have banned the box. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico and Hawaii have passed laws prohibiting the box on applications for state jobs.

(Prepared by the North Carolina Justice Center for the Durham Second Chance Alliance -Action NC, InStep Inc-919 680-8000* NC Justice Center-919 856-3194* Southern Coalition for Social Justice-919 323-3380*October, 2010)

Watch Night Services

Watch Night Services

Called

Freedom’s Eve

Many of us who live or grew up in the Black communities in the United States have probably heard of “Watch Night Services,” the gathering of the faithful in church on New Year’s Eve. The service usually begins anywhere from7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some folks come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For others, church is the only New Year’s Eve event. Like many others, I always assumed that Watch Night was a fairly standard Christian religious service, made a bit more Afro centric because that’s what happens when elements of Christianity become linked with the Black Church.

Still, it seemed that predominately White Christian churches did not include Watch Night services on their calendars, but focused instead on Christmas Eve programs. In fact, there were instances where clergy in mainline denominations wondered aloud about the propriety of linking religious services with a secular holiday like New Year’s Eve.

However, there is a reason for the importance of New Year’s Eve services in African American congregations. The Watch Night Services in the communities that we celebrate today can be traced back to gatherings on December 31, 1863 also known as “Freedom’s Eve.” On that night, Blacks came together in churches and private home all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law.

Then, at the stroke of midnight, it was January 1, 1864, and all slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free. Despite that expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal Border States. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free a single slave, it captured the hearts and imagination of millions of African Americans, and fundamentally transformed the character of the war from a war for the Union into a war for freedom. Moreover, the proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union army and navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.

When the news was received, there were prayers, shouts and songs of joy as people fell to their knees and thanked God. Black folks have gathered in churches annually on New Year’s Eve ever since, praising God for bringing us safely through another year of freedom.

It’s been 147 years since that first Freedom’s Eve “Watch Night Services” and many of us were never taught the African American history of Watch Night, but tradition still brings us together at this time every year to celebrate January 1^st was “African American Independence Day “or Freedom Day.