New Books Network The Criminal Record Complex: Risk, Race, and the Struggle for Work in America
Mar 26, 2026
Dr. Melissa Burch, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and director of the Afterlives of Conviction Project, studies how criminal records shape work and exclusion. She traces the history of routine background checks, describes fieldwork with job-seekers and employers in Southern California, and explores how institutions, risk narratives, and logistics sustain barriers to employment.
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Ban the Box Shifted How Employers See Applicants
- Ban the Box worked because it removed an immediate gatekeeper question and forced consideration of applicants' qualifications first.
- The campaign’s symbolic power came from formerly incarcerated organizers showing how a simple removal of a checkbox exposed widespread exclusion and demanded broader rights.
Records Became Permanently Searchable After 1970s Changes
- Court decisions and digitization transformed criminal records from hard-to-access courthouse files into widely searchable compiled records.
- This technological and legal shift made past convictions persistently available, enabling routine background screening across sectors.
Employer Bureaucracy Cost Ronaldo His Job
- Ronaldo’s old boss liked him but stopped hiring him because new school contracts required a lengthy background process.
- The bureaucratic check was so cumbersome the employer preferred not to bother, excluding a known reliable worker.
