The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has launched a new online interactive guide that aims to combat violations of California’s Fair Chance Act (FCA). The FCA is intended to support individuals previously involved in the criminal system through community reintegration, combatting discrimination, and reducing undue barriers to employment.
“Gainful employment is a key component of reintegration into society,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “The Fair Chance Act is about giving every Californian equal opportunity to build a life for themselves and their families. If you believe you or someone you know has lost out on a job or a promotion because of unlawful discrimination, reach out to us and take advantage of the resources we offer. At the Civil Rights Department, we will continue to leverage technology and every tool at our disposal to help protect Californians from discrimination.”
The CRD explained that the legislation generally prohibits employers with five or more employees from asking about a job applicant’s conviction history before making a conditional job offer, requires specific procedures for considering an applicant’s criminal history after a conditional job offer, and limits convictions that employers can consider disqualifying to those that have a direct relationship with job responsibilities.
The CRD said the goal of the interactive guide is to help individuals better understand whether the law’s protections apply to them. Guide users can anonymously assess whether they or another person may have experienced a violation of the Fair Chance Act. For those who believe their rights have been violated, the guide asks a series of detailed questions to help individuals understand whether the type of job they are applying to is covered under the Fair Chance Act and whether what they have experienced may violate the law’s protections.
The CRD noted that upon completing the prompts, the interactive guide creates an individualized report providing users general information about the Fair Chance Act, possible violations based on the responses provided, and specific information on how to get support.
The guide is the result of a partnership between the CRD; the University of California, Irvine School of Law; and technology provider, Neota Logic.
