Criminal Past in Louisiana? ‘Fair Chance’ Law Means You Can Work

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Finding a job isn't always easy.  Trying to find employment that fits your budget needs, schedule, training, geography, etc. is exhausting!  Now imagine you've cleared all of those hurdles to find the perfect opportunity only to have it snatched away from you due to the shadier parts of your past.  Up until August the 1st of 2021, that was exactly the case for thousands of unemployed residents of the Sportsman's Paradise.

According to the legal experts at JDSupra.com, a new state mandate called the Fair Chance Law that passed on June 16th prohibits employers from "...considering an arrest record or a charge that did not result in a conviction..." during the course of vetting a potential employee for hire.

On top of that, the new law takes a page from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) policy when it comes to arrests that do end in a conviction.  That would require business owners to consider the circumstances of that particular crime.  By law, they must take into account the "nature and gravity" of the offense or conduct, the time that has elapsed since the offense, conduct, or conviction, and the nature of the job sought.

That doesn't mean that every ex-con is guaranteed to get every job they apply for.  However, it does mean that those who found themselves on the wrong side of the law may not have to pay for their mistake(s) for the rest of their life - and may be able to get back to their "contributing member of society" status for good.