CCA releases report on the use of criminal records in college admissions

The Center for Community Alternatives Releases New Report About Trends in Use of Criminal Background Checks by College Admissions Offices; Says It’s a Civil Rights Issue.

The Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) today released a report about the results of its first-of-its-kind survey exploring the use of criminal background checks in the college admissions process. The survey found that a majority of colleges and universities now collect criminal justice information, usually through self-disclosure on the admissions application, and that a broad array of convictions, including convictions for relatively minor offenses, are viewed as negative factors in the context of admissions decision-making. In the report, CCA, which works to remove barriers to community reintegration faced by people who have been involved in the criminal justice system, urges institutions of higher education to reconsider this growing practice.

“A college education is one of society’s most potent and effective anti-crime weapons,” said Marsha Weissman, founding Executive Director. “It opens doors of opportunity, enhances critical thinking, and leads to better and more stable employment. If past criminal convictions are preventing qualified young people from going to college, then we all lose out.”

The report, “The Use of Criminal History Records in College Admissions Reconsidered,” argues that colleges and universities can responsibly refrain from collecting criminal background information because there is no empirical evidence that students with criminal records present a threat to campus safety. The most horrific crimes, like the Virginia Tech shootings, are committed by students who don’t have criminal records. The minority of schools in the survey that do not conduct background checks did not report that their campuses were any less safe as a result. Indeed, the U.S. Department of Education has concluded that “students on the campuses of post-secondary institutions are significantly safer than the nation as a whole.”

“There are important public policy reasons for colleges to reject this practice,” said Dr. Weissman. “This is a civil rights issue. Racial profiling and the heavy concentration of police in low-income, urban neighborhoods have led to extraordinarily high rates of arrest and conviction among young African Americans and Latinos. An African American in the city of Los Angeles, for example, is seven times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession as a white person even though government studies consistently show that young blacks use marijuana less than young whites. Based on these facts,” she continued, “screening for criminal records cannot be a race-neutral practice.”

For those colleges and universities that continue to engage in screening, the Report makes a series of recommendations designed to make their processes fairer and more evidence-based. These range from asking applicants for criminal justice information only after they have been conditionally accepted, to establishing written procedures that are transparent and consistent with due process. The Center for Community Alternatives is planning to publish a handbook of best practices for admissions offices and to conduct a series of trainings for admissions professionals.

“We are making this issue a top priority,” Dr. Weissman explained. “There are great social benefits associated with a more educated citizenry—more informed voters, better parents, and a more skilled workforce, to name a few. Colleges and universities promote public safety in the larger community when they open their doors to people with criminal records who demonstrate the commitment and qualifications to pursue higher education.”

Methodology: A 59-question survey was administered electronically between September 30 and October 29, 2009 through the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers network of 3,248 member institutions in the United States. In all, 273 institutions responded to the survey.

The Center for Community Alternatives, founded in 1981, advocates for alternatives to incarceration and provides services to young people and families at risk. With offices in Syracuse and New York, New York, the award-winning CCA has helped many thousands of individuals avoid incarceration, re-enter society, and live safe and productive lives.

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