Ban the Box Employment Policy

Summary

New York's ban the box policy produced the double-edged result that audit studies had predicted: it improved some outcomes for people with records while triggering statistical discrimination against young Black men who employers now assumed might have records. The unintended consequence is robust in audit studies across multiple cities. The finding suggests that ban the box works best when paired with fair-chance certification, targeted outreach to employers, or affirmative hiring programs that give employers a direct signal rather than forcing statistical inference.

Research question

"Does removing criminal history checkboxes from job applications increase employment of people with records?"

Methodology

Result

Mixed

Employment of people with records: modest increase; callback rates for Black applicants without records: declined 7% as employers statistically discriminated

Evidence strength

Moderate

Quasi-experimental design; causal interpretation requires care.

Replication status

Partially replicated