Birmingham Bans The Box

Birmingham Mayor William Bell announced new hiring practices in the city that Bell says is  aimed at curbing discrimination against those with past criminal convictions. Birmingham is the first city in Alabama to ban the box.

Mayor Bell said those with past criminal convictions are automatically rejected by employers, 'and it’s all because of that box that they have to check off whether or not they’re a convicted felon and we don’t get a chance to really see what they have to offer.”

The city will continue to examine individuals applying for city jobs criminal history but those findings would be addressed later in the hiring process. The mayor says he hopes private employers will will follow the Obama administration's Ban the Box initiative to help boost employment and cut recidivism.