Addressing the Nation’s Hiring Crisis: How States are Unlocking Talent through Fair Chance Licensing Reform

As states struggle with worker shortages, one potential solution is clear: opening pathways for people to have a fair chance of getting an occupational license will increase the number of skilled people with the appropriate industry credentials who are ready to work. Excluding people with criminal and juvenile records from jobs can have devastating effects on people with records, limit the talent pool for employers, and slow economic growth. But fair chance licensing legislation can remove these barriers.  

Join the CSG Justice Center for a Justice Briefing Live event that will provide an overview of fair chance legislative reforms happening across the country. The event will showcase the CSG Justice Center’s forthcoming Fair Chance Licensing Project—an unprecedented effort to track 14 key fair chance licensing best practices across all 50 states. The presentation will include an overview of barriers to work for people with criminal records and a summary of the 14 legislative licensing policies across all 50 states. It will also explore how fair chance licensing could help address the nation’s current worker shortage.  

 Participants:  

• Dr. Nicole Jarrett, Director, Corrections and Reentry Division, CSG Justice Center 
• Joshua Gaines, Project Manager, Corrections and Reentry Division, CSG Justice Center 
• Chidi Umez, Deputy Program Director, Corrections and Reentry Division, CSG Justice Center