Boxed Out:Criminal History Screening &

College Application Attrition

Presented to:

John Jay Prisoner Reentry Institute

May 21, 2015

Access to Higher

Education

Mass Criminalization

Mass Incarceration

Mass Reentry

Racial Disparities

Campus Safety

Proliferation of Screening

All schools but one report a Felony Application Attrition Rate that is higher than the General Application Attrition Rate.

The Felony Application Attrition Rate ranges from 1.5 times higher to 17.3 times higher than the General Attrition Rate.

Every school reports a General Application Attrition Rate under 50 percent.

Two-thirds of schools report a Felony Application Attrition Rate over 50 percent.

2924Number of SUNY Applicants Who Check the Box Each Year

1828Number of SUNY Applicants Boxed Out by Application Attrition Each Year

62.5%Mean Felony Application Attrition Rate

21%

62%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

General Application Attrition Rate Felony Application Attrition Rate

Median Application Attrition Rates Compared

Applicants who check the box have an application attrition rate3 times higher

than the general applicant population.

Comparison of Felony Application Attrition Rate and Felony Rejection Rate

1,828

117

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

Number of Applicants Eliminated byApplication Attrition

Number of Applicants Rejected byAdmissions Review Committees

Annual Application Attrition and Rejection Numbers Compared, for Applicants Who Disclose a Felony Conviction

The number of applicants who disclose a felony conviction impacted by application attrition is more than 15 times higher

than the number denied admission.

Felony Application Attrition andRejection Rates Compared

Excluded by Felony Application AttritionExcluded by Admissions Review

Committee Because of Conviction

For every one applicant rejected by Admissions Review Committees because of a felony conviction, 15 applicants

are excluded by felony application attrition.

1 : 15

An Overview of Policies and Procedures for Sixty SUNY Campuses

Two Controlling Documents•Policy Item #3300 (Effective September 1, 1998)“Admission of Persons with Prior Felony Convictions or Disciplinary Dismissals”

•FAQ (Issued June 17, 2013)To clarify existing policy, provide additional guidance to campuses, and to enhance compliance

What Do All of the Campuses Have in Common?

They all make the applicant run the gauntlet•All campuses require the applicant to check the box•All send a supplementary application or questionnaire •All warn that failure to provide all required documents and follow all procedures will make application incomplete and no action will be taken by Admissions•All tighten the gauntlet by further warning that any falsification, misinformation or incomplete information will result in denial of admission

51% 53%

68%

54%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

DCJS or other officialrecord

Letter from probationor parole

Self-report of entirecriminal history

Evidence ofrehabilitation

Common Supplemental Materials Requested

Across the 60 SUNY campuses, 38 differently named documents are requested.

Improper Instruction and Misunderstanding About FAQ #5

Q. If an applicant was convicted of a felony as a Youthful Offender, Juvenile Delinquent, or Juvenile Offender, or has otherwise had his/her records sealed, how should they answer the mandated question?

R. They should answer “No.” The Help function

on the SUNY application informs applicant

with Youthful Offender, Juvenile Delinquents or

Juvenile Offender status to respond “No.”

Interviews with SUNY Applicants

Adrien’s Story

Conclusions from Study• Felony application attrition is a more formidable barrier to

admission at SUNY campuses than rejection based upon a felony conviction.

• The gauntlet of supplementary requirements, no matter how applicant-friendly, will result in high rates of application attrition.

• This case study of SUNY carries implications for colleges across the U.S. with 55% of public colleges engaging in criminal history screening and a majority of those using supplemental requirements.

The criminal history box can make the sentence last a lifetime.

The Equality Speech

We cannot become complacent about the strides toward equality made by the civil rights movement.

“Be aware of that myth, that everything is going to be all right … Take it from me, it has not been solved …They are still laying traps for us.”

Justice Thurgood Marshall

Howard Law School

November 19, 1978

Have you been convicted of a felony? □ YES □ NO

Primary Recommendation

The Center for Community Alternatives, in concert with the Education from the Inside Out Coalition, strongly recommend that the State University of New York and all colleges and universities refrain from including the criminal history question on the application and prohibit the use of criminal history information in admissions decision making.

Support the New York Fair Access to Education Act (S.00969 and A.03363).

Secondary Recommendations

• Offer voluntary support services to students with criminal histories.

• Provide funding for prison-based education programs to help formerly incarcerated people make a smooth transition to college in the community.

• Assist in overcoming barriers to licensing for students with criminal histories.

• Address the real public safety concerns on college campuses: rape culture and binge drinking.

www.eiocoalition.org

www.justleadershipusa.orgwww.collegeandcommunity.org

www.communityalternatives.org

Mission StatementThe mission of the state university system shall be to provide to the people of New York educational services of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access, fully representative of all segments of the population…

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