Imagine if your whole life was defined by a mistake. A lapse in judgment at 19 or 20 meant you couldn’t get a job, find a place to live or provide for your children at 40 or 50.
This is the unfortunate reality for many of the one in three Americans with a criminal record, because nearly nine in 10 employers, four in five landlords and three in five colleges conduct criminal background checks to screen applicants. Even a minor, long-ago infraction can turn into a life sentence to poverty.
The above excerpt was originally published in Hartford Courant.
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