There are hundreds of thousands of justice-impacted residents in Chatham County, who despite being released, find their record holds them back. These are folks who were formerly incarcerated, people with a criminal record, and people who share households or close bonds with either of the first two groups. As they try to get back on their feet, unjust systems threaten to keep them down.

Sign the petition to signal your support for fair chance employment practices in Chatham County!

Many of our justice-impacted neighbors bring skills, experience, and a strong work ethic to every opportunity before them. Research shows that when presented with opportunities, justice-impacted employees stick around longer and  are promoted faster than other employees. In our community, many are seeking a fresh start and trying to live as models for their children, family, or friends. They're eager to work, build, and create alongside everyone else and some even have certifications and qualifications obtained while incarcerated. But instead of being able to translate their skills, value, and certifications into stable, fairly-paid careers, they find a locked door.

According to the National Employment Law Project, formerly incarcerated individuals earn almost half as much as non-formerly incarcerated counterparts. Further, employees with a felony or misdemeanor conviction on their record can lose out on almost ⅕ of the earnings their counterparts make. While having a job can reduce the risk of recidivism by 50%, losing it can be the cause for sending someone back to prison. We hear our justice-impacted neighbors when they say opportunities for career advancement are often locked behind deep background checks.

We hear them when they say they were fired after a few weeks without warning or reason. We hear them when they say  their current job doesn’t pay enough to make ends meet.  For our justice-impacted neighbors, a single past mistake can result in a lifetime of stigma, second-class citizenship, and a substandard quality of life.

But we don't have to tolerate this for ourselves or our justice-impacted neighbors. We can expand opportunities for justice-impacted individuals and make our communities safer. We all feel the weight of inflation, housing shortages, and underfunded public transportation, but these challenges weigh heavier on our justice-impacted neighbors. For justice-impacted Chatham County residents, moving or changing jobs may not be a viable option. We must act now to ensure an equal and fair chance for everyone in our county.

By signing this petition, you show businesses in our community that offering a fair chance won't damage their brand. You give businesses yet another reason to do the right thing.  Finally, you show your justice-impacted neighbors that you value their humanity and see them as equals.

We invite local businesses to: 

1. Offer a fair chance to all  employment types: Have the same standards for temporary, part-time, seasonal, tipped-work, gig-work, contracted work, commissions or any other employment type.
2. Extend a fair chance throughout their employment: Stick with these fair chance practices when making all employment decisions, including hiring, promoting, discipline, and termination.
3. Consider convictions only: Limit background checks to conviction history because other records like arrests or juvenile records may contain errors and incomplete information.
4. Offer a position first, conditioned on a background check: Give everyone a fair shot by waiting to run a background check until after extending an offer. This allows justice-impacted individuals to make a positive impression and explain what may show up on a background check.
5. Use the Green factors when making employment decisions: Barring all applicants with a certain conviction type, particular crimes, or level of the offense can create disparate impacts on already marginalized groups. These barriers also do not serve the business’s legitimate needs and concerns. Instead, employers can use the Green factors to consider individual conviction history in light of:
   
   1. The offense’s nature and gravity
   2. The length of time between the offense’s commission and the completion of the sentence.
   3. The job position’s nature
6. Offer an opportunity to respond: Even when rescinding a conditional job offer after a background check, employers can offer a chance for candidates to respond. They may have forgotten about their conviction, misunderstood whether it was a misdemeanor or felony, or have had the conviction previously expunged. Giving an opportunity to clarify information gives justice-impacted candidates a fair chance.
7. Communicate this commitment to candidates and employees: Be proud of this commitment and communicate them to people seeking positions at your business or pursuing promotions.
8. Continue complying with all laws: We do not mean to interfere with compliance with laws that exist for particular positions or job locations.