I saw this statement on the bottom of a job listing in CalJOBS
Job Postings with Criminal Record Exclusions
Individuals with conviction or arrest histories are not prohibited from applying for this job. The public workforce system has identified criminal record exclusions or restrictions in the attached job announcement. These exclusions or restrictions may be unlawful under certain circumstances. Therefore, the system is providing this notice to job seekers. Please see below for more information.
Information from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Employer Consideration of Arrest and Conviction History
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful to discriminate in employment based on race, color, national origin, religion, or sex. This law does not prohibit an employer from requiring applicants to provide information about arrests, convictions or incarceration. But, employers may not treat people with the same criminal records differently because of their race, national origin or another protected characteristic. In addition, unless required by federal law or regulation, employers may not automatically bar everyone with an arrest or conviction record from employment. This is because an automatic bar to hiring everyone with a criminal record is likely to unjustifiably limit the employment opportunities of applicants or workers of certain racial or ethnic groups.
If an employer’s criminal record exclusion policy or practice has a disparate impact on Title VII-protected individuals, it must be job related and consistent with business necessity. For greater detail on this standard, please see the EEOC’s Guidance referenced below.
Since an arrest alone does not necessarily mean that someone has committed a crime, an employer should not assume that someone who has been arrested, but not convicted, did in fact commit the offense. Instead, the employer should allow the person to explain the circumstances of the arrest to determine whether the conduct underlying the arrest justifies an adverse employment action. These rules apply to all employers that have 15 or more employees, as well as employment agencies that regularly refer potential employees to at least one employer covered under Title VII. For more information: http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/arrest_conviction.cfm;
http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/qa_arrest_conviction.cfm;
For information on filing a discrimination charge with the EEOC: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/howtofil.html or 800-669-4000.
Relevant Information from Other Federal Agencies
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires an employer to obtain the applicant’s permission before asking a background screening company for a criminal history report, and requires the employer to provide the applicant with a copy of the report and a summary of the applicant’s rights before the employer takes an adverse action (such as denying an application for employment) based on information in the criminal history report. For more information: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre36.shtm.
The U.S. Department of Labor enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as it applies to public workforce system programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance, as well as the nondiscrimination provisions of the Workforce Investment and Wagner Peyser Acts, which fund the public workforce system. Title VI and its implementing regulations prohibit any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance from excluding from participation in, or denying the benefits of the program, or otherwise subjecting anyone to discrimination, on the ground of race, color, or national origin. The nondiscrimination provisions in the laws that fund the public workforce system apply to discrimination on these bases, as well as discrimination on other grounds including disability, age, sex, and religion. For information on filing a discrimination complaint regarding the public workforce system: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/crc/external-enforc-complaints.htm or (877) 709-5797.