Michigan drops conviction box from job, license applications | Michigan Chronicle

LANSING, MICH. – Gov. Rick Snyder is ordering the state to no longer ask job applicants and people seeking certain occupational licenses to check a box if they have been convicted of a felony.

Photo credit: PBS, “Banning ‘the box’ to give ex-convicts a better chance at finding a job,” Dec. 25, 2014. Image Credit.

Snyder, who announced the changes on Friday, said the box is being replaced with a statement by which applicants can affirm their good character. He encouraged private employers to also remove the checkbox, so people are not automatically disqualified or are discouraged from applying in the first place.

Snyder told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday that the moves are “a great opportunity to help people coming out of correctional institutions have greater success, which is a win for all of us.” He said he wants state government to be a “role model.”