criminal background checks and black employment

As more employers are running criminal background checks on job applicants, critics are complaining that this is unfair to blacks, since they are more likely to have criminal records.

Actually a new study done by The Journal of Law and Economics have found just the opposite to be the case. Employers who run criminal background checks are more likely to hire African-Americans.

The reasoning behind this in the absence of background check information, hiring managers are much more likely to associate race with criminal backgrounds. 4% of white men have served time in prison, while the figure is 28% for black men.