<\/a>Ferguson has consequences\u2014and some of them may be positive.<\/p>\n The tragedy of Michael Brown\u2019s death in August 2014 has been a consciousness-raiser with ramifications far beyond the boundaries of one small municipality called Ferguson. Demonstrators have used the event to highlight a range of unfair laws and policies in Ferguson\u2014and in many other cities. And in what appear to be glimmers of awakening toward a more just system, some cities, including Ferguson, have been altering their policies. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n St. Louis City bans the box<\/strong> In October 2014, St. Louis City Mayor Francis Slay apparently saw the light and issued an order to ban the box from employment applications for city government jobs.<\/p>\n Philadelphia recently enacted a similar policy. Under Philadelphia’s new rules, “Ban the Box” provisions<\/a>:<\/p>\n -Require employers to remove questions about criminal convictions from their job applications. Ferguson changes its failure-to-appear policy<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ferguson Municipal Court no longer will levy a separate charge for \u201cfailure-to-appear,\u201d a charge that adds what many call an undue, extra burden on defendants. Also, the Ferguson City Council is considering capping fine income at 15 percent of the city\u2019s total revenue.<\/p>\n Municipal court reforms<\/strong><\/p>\n As reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis County recently proposed that the County Municipal Court do away with a $25 fee levied for infractions of county ordinances, in an effort to alleviate \u201cthe hardships that can result from large fines and costs for even minor infractions of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n A newly formed St. Louis County Municipal Court Improvement Committee, a group of six municipal judges, lawyers and court administrators, will look at ways to reduce reliance on fines and bench warrants for revenue. That\u2019s something critics say is a root cause of tension between people running the municipalities and people living in them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nFor job-seekers with criminal records, employment applications can be a huge roadblock, because many include a check-box that indicates a previous felony conviction. It\u2019s a disqualifier\u2014even for people who have completed their sentences, finished parole and are \u201coff paper.\u201d And knowing that the box is waiting to trap them, many people feel that the job market is a hopeless place for them, and simply don\u2019t bother to apply.<\/p>\n
\n-Prevent employers from asking about criminal convictions during your first job interview.
\n-Protect job applicants from having criminal background checks done before the first job interview.
\n-Prohibit employers from firing you or making any other employment decision based on a closed case that did not result in a criminal conviction<\/p><\/blockquote>\n