FACT: No studies support the idea that formerly incarcerated individuals are poor workers or pose a greater security risk.
In a compelling case study, Jennifer Lundquist, Devah Pager, and Eiko Strader found that in the military, workers with felony-level criminal records are no more likely to be fired for the negative reasons employers assume (such as misconduct or poor work performance) than those with no criminal record. Johns Hopkins conducted a study of 79 employees with more serious records for 3-6 years after their hiring date. At the end of the study period 73 individuals were still employed and only one was fired.
This post is an excerpt from Cornell University IRL (Industrial and Labor Relations) School's original post by Timothy McNutt, "9 Myths About Hiring People with Criminal Records"
