How prior experience and belief in redeemability impact employers' willingness to hire applicants with a criminal record

Abstract

ObjectivesEmployment is important for reentry, but remains a challenge for justice-involved individuals. Extant research has shown that employers' prior experience hiring individuals with a criminal record is a key predictor of their future behavior towards this group. This study expands this research by describing employers' prior experiences hiring a person with a criminal record, how it impacts their future hiring preferences, and whether managers' belief in redeemability impacts that association. MethodsWe used OLS regression, mediation, and moderation analysis on a sample of 620 hiring managers in the U.S. ResultsMost managers had previously hired someone with a criminal record (65.5%), most of whom reported good (41.6%) or excellent (11.3%) experiences. A positive prior experience and a high belief in redeemability are both strong predictors of a greater willingness to hire another person with a record. However, as the quality of prior experience improves, belief in redeemability becomes less important. ConclusionsA positive experience with employees with a criminal record is the main predictor of future willingness to hire and can even offset the influence of pre-existing negative attitudes towards this group. Ensuring that managers who hire justice-involved individuals have excellent experiences is a strategy for expanding future opportunities.