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By Baviu Cooliuge
Becembei 27, 2u1S

The Centei foi Community Alteinatives (CCA) has publisheu a iepoit which
piomises to ievolutionize the college aumissions piocess, with iespect to ciiminal
histoiies. The iepoit ieviews finuings fiom a
suivey conuucteu in collaboiation with AACRA0 of
27S institutions nationwiue.

The finuings ieveal a lot about policies that aie (oi
aien't) in place all ovei the countiy. Beie aie some
highlights:

o 66% of colleges collect ciiminal justice
infoimation. The policy is moie common
among piivate anu foui-yeai schools.
o S8% of colleges uo not collect oi use such
infoimation. These schools have not founu
theii campuses to be any less safe.
o The most common way colleges collect infoimation is thiough self-
uisclosuie. veiy few schools conuuct backgiounu checks.
o Less than Su% of schools that collect anu use ciiminal iecoius have policies
in the book, anu just 4u% tiain theii staff on how to inteipiet this
infoimation.
o Convictions commonly vieweu as negative incluue uiug anu alcohol ielateu
inciuents, misuemeanois, anu youthful offenuei aujuuications.
o }ust ovei Su% of schools that collect ciiminal iecoius pioviue suppoit oi
supeivision to those stuuents who aie accepteu. Emphasis is usually placeu
on supeivision.

CCA was also able to iefute a few myths associateu with stuuents with ciiminal
convictions. Foi example:

o No link coulu be founu between having piioi ciiminal convictions anu posing
a iisk to campus safety.
o Baving a ciiminal iecoiu isn't even unusual in this countiy touay. The 0S has
the highest incaiceiation iate in the woilu, mostly uue to ovei-
ciiminalization.
o The ciiminal justice system isn't exactly faii anu balanceu. In eveiy type of
ciime, in eveiy system acioss the countiy, iacial piocessing uispaiities have
been uocumenteu extensively. Thus using these iecoius in aumissions
policies can nevei be calleu iace-neutial.
o Auuitionally, ciiminal iecoius aie often inaccuiate oi misleauing foi a
numbei of othei ieasons.
o Accepting applicants with ciiminal iecoius uoesn't thieaten public safety-it
actually piomotes it. Thiough highei euucation, stuuents with past
convictions can expanu theii hoiizons, shaipen theii ciitical thinking, anu
piepaie themselves foi stable employment. Anu the tiuth is employment anu
euucation uiastically ieuuces ieciuivism, anu less ciime means a safei
countiy.

CCA's iepoit enus with a list of iecommenuations foi colleges anu univeisities ,
incluuing:

o Stop collecting anu using ciiminal iecoius in aumissions piocesses.
o If you keep collecting anu using ciiminal justice infoimation, uiop the
uisclosuie iequiiement, save it until aftei conuitional aumission, oi limit it to
ceitain types oi timelines of convictions.
o Base all aumissions uecisions on ciiteiia that aie in wiiting, tianspaient, faii
anu unbiaseu, anu baseu on eviuence anu ieal infoimation.
o Avoiu categoiical uenials foi any ciimes. Woik in a case-by-case basis. Is the
inuiviuual unuei community supeivision. Bave they been given the chance
to giow anu be iehabilitateu.
o When withuiawing an aumission ovei, infoim applicants the ieason foi theii
iejection, anu allow them the iight to appealing theii case.
o 0ffei suppoit seivices on campus foi stuuents with ciiminal backgiounus.

Bopefully, this iepoit will sheu some much neeueu light on an aspect of oui
euucation system that uiastically neeus to be iefoimeu. As a ciiminal uefense
attoiney who specializes in stuuents with convictions, I uo eveiything I can to help
the young people of Raleigh, Noith Caiolina to avoiu life-shatteiinging
iepeicussions foi incoiiect chaiges oi foolish mistakes. But it's goou to see that
people all ovei the countiy aie inteiesteu in empoweiing all stuuents, iegaiuless of
theii backgiounu, to leau fulfilling lives anu contiibute to the betteiment of oui
nation.

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