Yes, ban the box

Believing in second chances for convicted criminals is easy. Giving second chances is harder. The City of Staunton has the opportunity to walk the talk by becoming part of the national "ban the box" movement, which seeks to remove the criminal record question from job applications.

Several states and Virginia cities — including Harrisonburg and Charlottesville – have already taken the box off applications for their municipal job openings. Target and Walmart are notable private employers who have also stopped asking the application question.

The aim is not to expose employers, their staff and customers to potential crime. Even with the question off the initial application, an employer is free to ask about an applicant's criminal record during interviews.

The aim is to give convicted criminals a fair shot at the jobs they desperately need, thus decreasing the chance of further criminal activity and a return to jail or prison.

It's already illegal for employers to have blanket bans on hiring people with past convictions that don't directly relate to job duties, though in truth many employers enact such a ban.

In a perfect world, jobs are waiting for just-released prisoners and inmates as a part of their continued rehabilitation. Employers have made their willingness to hire qualified ex-convicts known, and there's an immediate opportunity to start fresh. Convicts have an opportunity to prove they are responsible and willing to make a positive contribution with a job that provides them with a purpose and an income, instead of falling right back into a life of crime.

In that same perfect world, employers take the time to interview applicants who look promising, checked box or not. In person, they ask the question and hear what the potential employee has to say. They get to know the individual and make hiring decisions based on the full picture, not a checked or unchecked box.

But it's not a perfect world. The box ban is aiming for a better world, for a second chance for those who have served their time and are ready and able to contribute to society. We hope Staunton bans the box.

Our View represents the majority opinion of the newspaper's editorial board, Roger Watson, president and publisher; David Fritz, executive editor; and Deona Landes Houff, community conversations editor.