• The New York Times editorial board expressed support for an Assembly bill that would bar city police officers from confiscating condoms from women suspected of prostitution and using them as evidence, citing condoms' crucial role in the fight against HIV.

• As we reported earlier this week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new, forward-thinking guidance to employers on the use of criminal records in hiring decisions. Legal Action Center and its National H.I.R.E. Network applaud the new guidance, which is critical to ensuring a fair chance for qualified people with criminal histories to compete and participate in the labor market. Read our full press release for details.

With background checks ever more prevalent in job screening, this forward-thinking guidance is critical to ensuring a fair chance for qualified people with criminal histories to compete and participate in the labor market. LAC and HIRE wholeheartedly support the new guidance, including provisions that:

• Put employers on notice that categorical exclusions for people with certain convictions may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Law of 1964 because of the disparate impact on minorities.
• Recommend that job applications not ask about criminal records, and that if they do ask, they limit inquiries to records for which exclusion would be job-related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity.
• Offer examples of common policies and practices that violate Title VII.
• Inform local and state governments that laws barring people with certain criminal records from jobs or licenses also could violate Title VII.

"As individuals endeavor to turn their lives around, it’s key for employers to consider their convictions on a case-by-case basis instead of using blanket bans and arbitrary criteria," said Sally Friedman, LAC’s legal director. "Especially with the kind of errors we see every day on rap sheets, employers can’t possibly treat applicants fairly any other way."

Not only that, the commission’s parameters for a claim of discrimination will force employers with discriminatory policies to make big changes, said Roberta Meyers, director of the National HIRE Network. "As someone who has been fighting against this type of discrimination for decades, all I can say is, wow," she said. "This is an incredibly strong stance that really raises the bar for employers and opens doors to qualified applicants who have repeatedly been turned away."

• LAC offers its sincere thanks to the New York Bar Foundation for its most recent grant, presented this week by Treasurer John H. Gross. The foundation has been a continuing supporter of LAC's legal services, particularly rap-sheet education workshops that are critical to helping people with criminal records.
• Don't miss a dramatic reading of "In Our Name: A Play of the Torture Years," by LAC Board Member Michael Meltsner, a professor at Northeastern University Law School. The play, an examination of U.S. military operations at Guantanamo Bay, will be presented May 9, 14 and 23 in Manhattan; follow this link for details and reservation information.

• National H.I.R.E. Network Director Roberta Meyers-Peeples will be a featured speaker at an April 19 training for workforce professionals in Manhattan. Follow this link for more information on the training, titled "Strengthening NYC’S Labor Force: Enforcing Anti-Discrimination Protections for New Yorkers with Criminal Histories."

• As we noted earlier this week in our action alert, we're working with other national advocacy groups on a letter urging Congress to provide funds for the Second Chance Act, which provides critical support to improve the coordination of reentry services and policies at the state, tribal, and local levels. Follow this link for the full alert.