The federal education department is recommending colleges limit inquiries into the criminal histories of students seeking admission. The department says such inquiries can prevent some people from pursuing higher education.
The recommendation is part of a new resource guide, "Beyond the Box: Increasing Access to Higher Education for Justice-Involved Individuals," the department released Monday.
“We believe in second chances and we believe in fairness,” U.S. Secretary of Education John King, said in a statement today. “The college admissions process shouldn’t serve as a roadblock to opportunity, but should serve as a gateway to unlocking untapped potential of students.”
A number of colleges an universities ask applicants about any contact with the legal system or police. Earlier this year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, an advocacy group, found 17 universities in the South — including the University of Georgia and Clark Atlanta University — included such questions on their applications.
Evidence suggests that requesting this information may prevent potentially well-qualified applicants from enrolling in college or training programs beyond high school, education officials said.
King made the announcement Monday at UCLA, which does not ask about encounters with the justice system on its admission applications.
The department is committed to helping campuses stay safe but also to increasing opportunities for all students, officials said in information about the new program. Instead of asking about criminal-justice involvement, “Beyond the Box” includes recommendations such as:
- Delaying the request for — or consideration of — experiences with the criminal justice system until after an admission decision has been made
- Clearly informing potential students as early as possible how to respond to questions about criminal pasts
- Ensuring that questions are narrowly focused, avoiding overly broad requests about criminal history
- Giving students the opportunity to explain criminal-justice encounters and their preparedness for college study
- Training admissions personnel and counselors to use criminal-history data effectively
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