Perceived Criminality, Criminal Background Checks, and the Racial Hiring Practices of Employers

In this paper, we analyze the effect of employer‐initiated criminal background checks on the likelihood that employers hire African Americans. We find that employers who check criminal backgrounds are more likely to hire African American workers, especially men. This effect is stronger among those e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of law & economics 2006-10, Vol.49 (2), p.451-480
Main Authors: Holzer, Harry J., Raphael, Steven, Stoll, Michael A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American studies
African Americans
Background checks
Black people
Criminal histories
Criminal records
Criminals
Employers
Employment
Employment discrimination
Employment statistics
Gender differences
Hiring
Impact analysis
Productivity
Racial discrimination
Studies
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Summary:In this paper, we analyze the effect of employer‐initiated criminal background checks on the likelihood that employers hire African Americans. We find that employers who check criminal backgrounds are more likely to hire African American workers, especially men. This effect is stronger among those employers who report an aversion to hiring those with criminal records than among those who do not. We also find similar effects of employer aversion to ex‐offenders and their tendency to check backgrounds on their willingness to hire other stigmatized workers, such as those with gaps in their employment history. These results suggest that, in the absence of criminal background checks, some employers discriminate statistically against black men and/or those with weak employment records. Such discrimination appears to contribute substantially to observed employment and earnings gaps between white and black young men.
ISSN:0022-2186
1537-5285
DOI:10.1086/501089