The Utility of Criminal History Questions in Community Psychology Program Applications

Abstract

Aim
Access to higher education is a valuable protective factor against recidivism. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles criminal justice
involved individuals need to overcome to further their education. This study examined universities with community psychology
programs in order to assess: a) the extent of requests for an applicant’s criminal history, and b) whether asking these questions had
any effect on rates of crimes.
Method
We compared the crime rates for institutions that did and did not ask about an applicant’s past involvement with the criminal justice
system.
Results
No statistically significant differences in reported crimes were observed between those academic settings that asked or did not ask for this information.
Conclusion
Our study suggests that criminal background checks do not support safety concerns as the reason for continuing to request this
personal information on applications. These types of stigma-inducing and intrusive questions conflict with the values of community psychology.