LUCAS COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - The state of Ohio is just one step away from outlawing questions about a person's criminal background from being asked on public applications.
It's been almost two years since Lucas County Commissioners put the so-called "Ban the Box" program into action. Now State Representative Michael Ashford is encouraging the entire state of Ohio to do the same.
"What this does is give them an opportunity to talk about their work ethic and what they can bring to a company now," said Ashford.
Lucas County was the first in the state of Ohio to use ban the box, which is a law that removes questions about a person's criminal background from public applications, like employment, housing, colleges and loans. It's something, Ashford says, impacts more people than you may think.
"Seventy million Americans in this country, 1 out of 4 have some type of criminal background, which prevents them from getting gainful employment," he said.
Ashford says about 10 other cities in Ohio have already adopted "Ban the Box" and Lucas County Re-entry Coordinator Tom Luettke says he's already seen the difference it can make.
"Having employment, it's a proven fact that it reduces those return trips to prison, what we call recidivism. So getting a person employed will have a greater impact on recidivism than almost anything else we can do for them," said Luettke.
He says the national average of repeat offenders is 49 percent, but in Lucas County it's 22.7 percent, a number that has continued to drop since Ban the Box took place in 2013. He also recognizes the long-term affect this could have.
"It may be a small step, but it's gonna be a huge step for people with criminal histories," said Luettke.
State Representative Ashford says they're now waiting for the program to pass through the senate and become a state law. He says it is just for public companies, but wants to see it catch on with private-owned companies and move forward nationwide.
