Nationwide, over 40 cities and counties-including New York City-have now taken the critical step
of removing unfair barriers to employment in their hiring policies. Several states have followed suit,
building on the successful track record of local hiring initiatives. Widely known as "ban the box,"
these initiatives typically remove the question on the job application about an individual's conviction
history and delay the background check until later in the hiring process. The purpose of this reform is
to provide applicants a better chance of being evaluated based on their qualifications.