Living Down the Past: Criminal Record Checks and Access to Employment for Ex-offenders

Employment is essential to the rehabilitation of offenders, yet employers routinely check criminal records in pre-employment processes and deny offenders employment. Little attention has been given to the implications of the exponential growth in criminal records checking for society's reintegration of offenders. This interdisciplinary project will be the first Australian research to elucidate the operational realities of employers criminal record use, and the interplay of this practice with the regulatory system governing employment decision-making. It will explore the extent to which law and practice should be reformed to promote equal opportunity and rehabilitation, reduce discrimination and address Australia s labour shortage.