Scientific Foundation

Decisions grounded in research

Our risk assessment models are developed alongside criminologists and labor economists analyzing millions of criminal records across multiple jurisdictions.

Time since conviction is the strongest predictor of future risk Crime type is less predictive than commonly assumed Offending peaks in adolescence and drops rapidly with age

Scientific Advisors

Sarah Lageson, Scientific Advisor — Northeastern University

Sarah Lageson

Northeastern University

Emma Harrington, Scientific Advisor — University of Virginia

Emma Harrington

University of Virginia

Hannah Shaffer, Scientific Advisor — Harvard Law School

Hannah Shaffer

Harvard Law School

Background Check Advisors

Marc Bourne, Background Check Advisor — Workforce QA

Marc Bourne

Workforce QA

Kevin Bachman, Background Check Advisor — IQubed Advisors

Kevin Bachman

IQubed Advisors

Reentry Advisors

Jason Whyte, Reentry Advisor — National Reentry Workforce Collaborative

Jason Whyte

National Reentry Workforce Collaborative

Cheri Garcia, Reentry Advisor — Cornbread Hustle

Cheri Garcia

Cornbread Hustle

Research Library

Explore the peer-reviewed research in criminology and labor economics that informs our approach to fair hiring.

27 peer-reviewed papers Read our blog →

What's in a Label? Public Use and Perceptions of Labeling Alternatives in Criminology

DENVER, BALLOU ET AL.
Stigma 2024

Negligent Hiring: Recidivism and Employment with a Criminal Record

PYLE
Negligent Hiring 2023

Second Chance Employment: Addressing Concerns About Negligent Hiring Liability

MALTBY, DOUGLAS
Negligent Hiring 2023

Misdemeanor Prosecution

AGAN, DOLEAC ET AL.
Recidivism 2023

It's what you do after the mistake that counts: Positive employment credentials, criminal record stigma, and potential pathways of mediation

DENVER, DEWITT
Positive Signals 2022

Barred from Employment: More Than Half of Unemployed Men in Their 30s Had a Criminal History of Arrest

BUSHWAY, CABREROS ET AL.
Employment 2022

Providing Another Chance: Resetting Recidivism Risk in Criminal Background Checks

BUSHWAY, VEGETABILE ET AL.
Recidivism 2022

Shifting Peaks and Cumulative Consequences: Disqualifying Convictions in High-security Jobs

DENVER, BEHLENDORF
Employment 2021

The Exception as the Rule: Negligent Hiring Liability, Structured Uncertainty, and the Rise of Criminal Background Checks in the United States

MCELHATTAN
Negligent Hiring 2021

A Policy Review of Employers' Open Access to Conviction Records

BUSHWAY, KALRA
Background Checks 2020

The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Ban the Box

RAPHAEL
Ban the Box 2020

Criminal Records, Positive Credentials and Recidivism: Incorporating Evidence of Rehabilitation Into Criminal Background Check Employment Decisions

DENVER
Recidivism 2020

Mapping the Age of Official Desistance for Adult Offenders: Implications for Research and Policy

DOHERTY, BERSANI
Desistance 2018

Short- and long-term effects of imprisonment on future felony convictions and prison admissions

HARDING, MORENOFF ET AL.
Recidivism 2017

Ban the Box, Criminal Records, and Racial Discrimination: A Field Experiment

AGAN, STARR
Ban the Box 2017

Redeemed Compared to Whom?: Comparing the Distributional Properties of Arrest Risk Across Populations of Provisional Employees With and Without a Criminal Record

DEWITT, BUSHWAY ET AL.
Risk Assessment 2017

Long-Term Crime Desistance and Recidivism Patterns -- Evidence from the Essex County Convicted Felon Study

KURLYCHEK, BUSHWAY ET AL.
Desistance 2017

The Language of Stigmatization and the Mark of Violence: Experimental Evidence on the Social Construction and Use of Criminal Record Stigma

DENVER, PICKETT ET AL.
Stigma 2017

A New Look at the Employment and Recidivism Relationship Through the Lens of a Criminal Background Check

DENVER, SIWACH ET AL.
Recidivism 2017

Evaluating the Impact of "Old" Criminal Conviction Decision Guidelines on Subsequent Employment and Arrest Outcomes

DENVER
Recidivism 2016

The New Scarlet Letter? Negotiating the U.S. Labor Market with a Criminal Record

RAPHAEL
Employment 2014

A Signaling Perspective on Employment-Based Reentry Programming

BUSHWAY, APEL
Positive Signals 2012

The Predictive Value of Criminal Background Checks: Do Age and Criminal History Affect Time to Redemption?

BUSHWAY, NIEUWBEERTA ET AL.
Risk Assessment 2011

'Redemption' in an Era of Widespread Criminal Background Checks

BLUMSTEIN, NAKAMURA
Background Checks 2009

Enduring Risk? Old Criminal Records and Predictions of Future Criminal Involvement

KURLYCHEK, BRAME ET AL.
Recidivism 2007

Scarlet Letters and Recidivism: Does an Old Criminal Record Predict Future Offending?

KURLYCHECK, BRAME ET AL.
Recidivism 2006

An Empirical Framework for Studying Desistance as a Process

BUSHWAY, PIQUERO ET AL.
Desistance 2006

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