One in three South Carolinian's has a criminal record and as a result face pervasive and open ended employment discrimination. The consequences of this for families and communities can be devastating. Unemployment and sub unemployment both undermine reentry. Individuals who can't get a job, can't feed their families, nor can they find stable housing. Furthermore, where employment is a condition of release, people often have their freedom revoked, creating a vicious cycle that began with a lack of services supporting reentry. It is a fact that lack of stable employment is one of the number one factors in recidivism.

We are calling for The State of South Carolina to "Ban the Box". In practice, this means the state would effectively eliminate any question about a job applicants criminal record from the application and interview process. Making "Ban the Box" law will create a new opportunity for State employers to clearly assess a candidates skills, experience, and talent as they relate to the position to be filled.

Essentially we are asking removal of the question, "Do you have a criminal record" from job applications. Banning the Box doesn't eliminate a background check, but it delays it until AFTER a conditional offer has been made and imposes a standard process by which the background is assessed.