FIRED. DENIED. RESCINDED.
The truth about what happens after a conviction and what we can do to end it.
For too many Ohioans, the punishment doesn’t end when the sentence does.
People come home ready to work, provide for their families, and rebuild their lives. Yet many of them are told no at every turn.
A new survey conducted by Building Freedom Ohio and Policy Matters Ohio reveals what we’ve known all along: having a record means doors stay closed to jobs, housing, dignity, and stability.
This isn’t justice. It’s a system built to keep us stuck.
Key Stats
70% of people with records have been denied a job or fired because of a background check.
Only 47% have access to W-2 jobs, compared to 71% of all Ohio workers.
71% have had their driver’s license suspended, which is three times the state average.
Over half said that finding stable work is their biggest barrier to freedom.
For too many Ohioans, the punishment doesn’t end when the sentence does.
People come home ready to work, provide for their families, and rebuild their lives. Yet many of them are told no at every turn.
A new survey conducted by Building Freedom Ohio and Policy Matters Ohio reveals what we’ve known all along: having a record means doors stay closed to jobs, housing, dignity, and stability.
This isn’t justice. It’s a system built to keep us stuck.
Key Stats
70% of people with records have been denied a job or fired because of a background check.
Only 47% have access to W-2 jobs, compared to 71% of all Ohio workers.
71% have had their driver’s license suspended, which is three times the state average.
Over half said that finding stable work is their biggest barrier to freedom.
Joseph Langdon | Cleveland, BFO
I WAS PUT IN PRISON FOR 22 YEARS OF MY LIFE, WHICH MEANS I’M DIRECTLY IMPACTED. I GOT HIRED AND FIRED IN THE SAME WEEK OVER SOMETHING I WAS CONVICTED OF IN THE '90s.
These numbers aren’t random. They’re the result of collateral sanctions. These are the laws and policies that keep people from moving forward long after their time is served.
There are more than 850 laws in Ohio that restrict access to work for people with convictions.
That means you can be legally blocked from jobs, licenses, contracts, and training programs, even when the work has nothing to do with your record.
Those barriers don’t just hurt individuals; they also cost Ohio billions in lost wages and keep families in cycles of poverty.
Why It Matters
Every “no” makes it harder for people to say “yes” to themselves.
This system steals talent, hope, and stability from entire neighborhoods, especially Black and Brown communities that have already paid the highest price.
Our communities lose workers. Employers lose good people. Families lose income.
And Ohio loses its future.
Building Freedom Ohio is organizing to change that.
We’re pushing for:
Automatic record sealing (“Clean Slate”) because no one should have to beg for forgiveness twice.
A true second chance at work — employers should see people’s potential, not their past.
Fair license laws — ending senseless restrictions that keep people from driving, earning, and living free.
Time to rebuild — a 180-day grace period for people returning home before fines and fees come due.
