The Bottom Line reports on new guidelines that have been adopted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to set up new rules for employers conducting criminal background checks on job applicants. Guidelines have long existed for this purpose, but when the EEOC adopted the old guidelines, criminal background checks on prospective employees were relatively unusual, partly because without the internet it was a much more time-consuming and complicated process. Now, more than 70% of employers are estimated to run criminal background checks for every job applicant, which the EEOC believes may put minorities at a disadvantage in the job market. About 1 in 3 black men in the United States spends time in prison, compared to 1 in 17 white men. Because of statistics like this, the focus of the new guidelines is to consider three primary issues when looking at criminal records: the nature of the crime, the time elapsed, and the nature of the job. It may not be appropriate to eliminate an applicant from consideration on the basis of a single conviction, many years earlier, for a charge that has no bearing on the job in question.

The long-term consequences of criminal charges can be severe. If you have been charged with a crime, speak with an experienced Denver criminal defense lawyer immediately.