Criminal record could impact student protestor

It’s difficult to imagine that participating in a protest in college could lead to limited job prospects for those involved, but this very well may be a reality for some student protesters at Pitt.

A student protest turned violent last Thursday after the Pitt police forced students out of the Litchfield Towers lobby as they were occupying the space, despite police demands not to. One student involved — along with a 20-year-old man who doesn’t go to Pitt  — allegedly got into an altercation with a police officer and now faces charges for aggravated assault, resisting arrest and trespassing.

In response, Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner issued a statement defending the University police’s directives and called for respect among students, “The incident in the Towers Lobby on Thursday was the result of blatant disregard for the safety, welfare and rights of members of our community, including our police officers,” Bonner wrote.

Because Bonner made clear that the results of these arrests will have to be settled in court (meaning Pitt won’t intervene), we will refrain from commenting on any of the protesters’ charges other than to assume those who were charged are innocent unless a jury convicts them.

But since a felony conviction remains a possibility for the student charged, such a conviction shouldn’t follow them after they settle up with the law. This is why it’s important to “ban the box,” and make it illegal for employers to ask job applicants if they’ve been convicted of a felony.

If the students are convicted, requiring them to tell potential employers will hinder their futures indefinitely. Such actions would be harmful for any student who is looking to graduate and find a job afterwards.

Regardless of the outcome of the arrests and charges, the student should not be denied employment opportunities in the case they have to face consequences. This is a type of discrimination on those with criminal records that keeps them from having the same rights to jobs, housing, public assistance and education. Why should people convicted of felonies be punished for the rest of their lives?

While Allegheny County implemented a “ban the box” policy in 2014 to county employers, following the city of Pittsburgh’s policy change to exclude questions about prior criminal convictions on its job applications, lawmakers need to do more. The policy should extend to private employers and Pennsylvania should adopt a similar policy for the state. In order to give former convicts the chance to re-enter society, Pennsylvania must pass a statewide policy that prevents private and public employers from asking questions about criminal history.

While the bans in both the city and the county were noble first steps, these do not include a majority of the 215,000 employers in Pennsylvania — including the private ones. When one in three Americans have some type of criminal record, we shouldn’t be denying people the second chance to rebuild their lives and contribute to the community.

As a community here at Pitt, we do not want to see our fellow students suffer indefinitely in the event they are convicted of a crime. We need to stand up for this student and those who are unjustly discriminated against for past crimes, instead of assuming they are a threat for life.

A criminal record should never be a life sentence for anyone who’s served their time.