Many countries prohibit the official disclosure of certain convictions that happened long ago and allow ex-offenders to legally conceal their criminal past.
[1] Ex-offenders often face employment discrimination by default when they search for work after completing their punishment.
This discrimination is often enacted upon completion of employment applications that require responses about past criminal history.
Employers might be unwilling to hire those with criminal records for many reasons – such as the risk of legal liability if a previous offender harms a customer or coworker, the risk of financial liability if the offender engages in theft, fears of personal violence, and the negative signals that a period of incarceration sends about their general skills or trustworthiness.
According to the document on Title VII Challenges to Employment Discrimination, between 25% and 40% of ex-offenders are unemployed and job prospects for criminal offenders are only expected to worsen as employers continue to gain easier and cheaper access to criminal records.