Fair Background Checks Mean a Better Future

The United States has nearly 25% of the world's prison population, despite only making up close to 5% of the global population. One in three or nearly 77M people in the United States has a past criminal record. Contrary to mainstream misperception, this large and diverse community includes a wide array of ambitious people who have the grit, talent, and loyalty to be valued members of teams across a variety of industries. Yet they are consistently overlooked for jobs and career growth because of their past criminal record alone. By any reasonable standard this does not increase safety and certainly is not beneficial to individuals, families, or businesses.

Checkr is a mission-driven technology company that is the leader in the background check industry. We recognize that people with a past criminal record can face barriers to life success. We’re committed to leveling the playing field in a variety of ways. Fairness has become Checkr’s North Star—our mission is to build a fairer future by designing technology to create opportunities for all. We believe that all people, regardless of their past, should have a fair chance at achieving personal and professional goals, providing for their families, and contributing to their communities.

The call for greater corporate social responsibility along with pressing labor needs spotlights a new opportunity for businesses—the chance to evolve our thinking on how we make decisions that impact people’s lives the most: decisions like employment, housing and loan acquisition. We must reconsider our history of making decisions largely based on risk and fear alone. Instead, we need to take steps that ensure fairness is a key driver of a business’s decision making calculus.

Checkr is excited to launch our “Background Checks for a Fairer Future” campaign. The goal of this campaign is to raise awareness about the breadth of talent amongst the formerly incarcerated, to share resources on how companies can embrace fair chance practices, and to invite companies to learn more about Checkr’s background check technology and fairness tools.

Keep an eye out for Checkr as you embark on your summer travels: As part of our campaign, we will be amplifying the message of fair chance hiring across billboards and airport screens in the US. In fact, we had a photoshoot with some of Checkr’s fair chance employees and we look forward to showcasing them and their stories in the coming months.

You can start the process of learning more about fair chance hiring, decision making practices, as well as the talent and ambitions of people who are formerly incarcerated now. We’ve provided a variety of free resources below:

Let’s impact people’s lives and our communities together. Follow along with Checkr’s “Background Checks For A Fairer Future” campaign, a public awareness effort that highlights the success of formerly incarcerated individuals and challenges companies to learn more about and embrace fair chance practices.

Checkr’s background check technology, built on trust and safety and strengthened through fairness tools, offers a meaningful way to widen your talent funnels and advance social justice and racial equity through the routine act of hiring.