The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) has announced that it will hold a public briefing to examine the use of criminal background checks in employment. The meeting will discuss in particular how criminal background checks impact African American and Hispanic workers, as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) recently-approved updated enforcement guidance on this topic in general. The fact that the USCCR is holding this public forum indicates that the use of criminal histories in employment continues to be a hot-button issue months after the EEOC issued its guidance. 

The briefing will take place from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012 at 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425. The briefing will be broken up into three separate panels comprising government officials and academics; business and advocacy group members; and representatives from various trade associations.

Photo credit: Kirby Hamilton