Who’s at the Bottom of the Hiring List? Exploring the Compounding Effects of Applicant Race and Offense History on Employability

Justice-involved persons, especially people of color and those convicted of a sexual offense, experience bias and other barriers when seeking employment. However, there is no research on the synergistic effects of race and sexual offense history on employment-related outcomes. This study examined whether a hypothetical job applicant's race (Black vs. White) and/or sexual offense history (sexual, non-sexual, or no history) impacted hiring decisions and employment-related outcomes. Results revealed no significant main effects of applicant race and no interaction between applicant race and offense history across all employment-related outcomes. However, participants were less likely to endorse hiring the applicant and desired greater social distance from the applicant if he had a prior sexual offense compared with those having a non-sexual offense. This finding suggests applicants with a known sexual offense history may be more frequently passed up for jobs than other justice-involved applicants for reasons unrelated to the job itself.