Criminal Record Bars Young Women of Color from Work

It's not just a problem for men

By Carla Murphy Mar 20, 2014

One Philadelphia legal clinic noticed a few years ago that a disproportionate number of clients coming through their doors were young women of color. They all had criminal records and they all sought help because they were having a hard time finding good jobs or any work at all. Their numbers were notable because, as Community Legal Services of Philadelphia explains in a new report: "the vast majority of research, programming, and policy attention regarding criminal records and barriers to employment have focused on men. The impact of criminal records on young women seeking employment has largely been overlooked."

So CLS undertook a small local study. (Nationally, women are the fastest rising segment of the prison and jail population.) Among the findings: despite the low risk women pose to public safety, they may face more barriers to employment than men. One reason could be social expectations. Women are seen to have committed two offenses: one against society and another against "expectations of how women are supposed to behave." 

Read more at ThinkProgress.