Partner Spotlight: Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
Responsible Business Initiative for Justice: Organizational Overview
The Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) is an international nonprofit that works with companies to champion fairness, equality, and efficacy across systems of punishment and incarceration. RBIJ engages, educates, and equips businesses and their leaders to participate in meaningful advocacy on key criminal justice issues, support policy-specific reform campaigns, and use their resources to be a force for good in society.
RBIJ is currently coordinating business engagement on Clean Slate Missouri alongside Empower Missouri and a diverse group of stakeholders.
Why Clean Slate Is Good for Missouri Business
1.8 million Missourians – nearly one-third of the total population – have some form of arrest or conviction record. For these individuals, that record creates more than 40,000 unnecessary structural barriers - barriers that can last a lifetime. 9 in 10 employers currently use background checks in their hiring process, and people with records are half as likely to receive a callback as similarly-qualified candidates without records. As a result, the unemployment rate for individuals who have been incarcerated is 27 percent – higher than the general unemployment rate has ever been in American history. Even for individuals who are eligible for record sealing, the costs and processes can be prohibitive; of the 518,000 Missourians who currently qualify for expungement, less than one percent complete the process. Missouri loses $2.6 billion in cumulative earnings every year due to underemployment from convictions that could be, but have not been, cleared.
This would be an issue under any circumstances. In the face of an ongoing hiring shortage, it becomes inexcusable. Clean Slate, the automatic sealing of criminal records if a person remains crime-free, is a solution. Clean Slate allows employers to tap into a vast, underutilized, diverse, loyal and productive talent pool. Such solutions are critical to driving inclusive growth post-pandemic. It will also serve to make communities safer. By getting individuals back into the workforce, businesses can reduce the recidivism rate and prevent future criminal involvement. This will make their staff, families, and customers safer. For businesses that are already committed to hiring justice-impacted talent, Clean Slate laws remove operational and human resources burdens, making it easier to get qualified employees into the workforce. By supporting Clean Slate, businesses can expand the workforce, increase racial equity, and build a stronger Missouri.
Get Involved
If you are a business owner or other business stakeholder that would like to be involved in this outreach, please contact Maggie O'Donnell with RBIJ at maggie@rbij.org.
