American politicians and educators stand strong on the belief that higher education is necessary to succeed in life. Everyone, in their opinion, should have the right to go to college--except, in many cases, those with a criminal history. Entrance in the job market for people with a criminal history is almost non-existent, especially in today’s economy. Obtaining a college degree can give those with a criminal history a foot in an employer’s door. But not every American is welcome at college.
The Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) offers an intriguing look behind college admission doors in a first-of-its-kind report on how formerly incarcerated persons fare when applying to college.
The report The Use of Criminal History Records in College Admissions Reconsidered uses information gathered from a 59-question survey sent out to members of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Offices (AACRAO). Out of 3,248 surveys sent September 20 through October 29, 2009, 273 responses were received.
From the response to the survey CCA found that:
66% of colleges collect criminal background information.
38% do not collect criminal background information and there is no evidence that those schools are not as safe as those who do.
40% that collect criminal background information, and use it to make admitting decisions have no written policy in place. And only about half have staff trained in interpretation of the information.
If an applicant fails to disclose past criminal history, that applicant’s chance of getting admitted decreases dramatically if a background check states a criminal record exists.
Those with sex or violent offenses have the least chance of getting admitted, with those who have any type of felony coming in second for not being accepted for admission.
Often a juvenile offense is considered for rejection of an application, and for adults the time period between offense, or the applicant’s success post-conviction are not taken into account.
The report makes recommends as to how to make higher education accessible to those with a prior criminal record. To view the full report
Click here to go to website
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