The City of Cleveland has a growing number of people re-entering the community after serving their sentence; and they need employment.CLEVELAND – Mayor Frank G. Jackson is leading by example in providing fair employment opportunities to ex-convicts by removing the checkbox to indicate whether or not an applicant has a felony conviction from City of Cleveland job and civil service testing applications. This policy change means that only finalists for a position will get a background check. Cleveland is now one of only 28 cities/counties across the country to “ban the box.”
“I have, in the past, asked for other employers to give those convicted of a felony a fair shot at obtaining employment,” said Mayor Jackson. “I hope that others will consider banning the box on job applications. By removing this question, applicants can be sure that they will not be automatically excluded for consideration for a job because of their past mistakes.”
The City of Cleveland has a growing number of people re-entering the community after serving their sentence; and they need employment. "The employment of ex-offenders is an important component to preventing recidivism which supports our goal of improving Public Safety,” stated Director of Public Safety Martin L. Flask. “If employment is not available, our experience is that many ex-offenders will return to what they know best in order to survive. Having already paid their debt to society, it’s only right to give them an opportunity for employment.”
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