Title
Amending Chapter 9-3500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards," by adding a section providing for prohibition on consideration of or inquiry about an applicant's juvenile records at any stage of the employment or licensing process, and adding definitions; all under certain terms and conditions.
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WHEREAS,?Persons with juvenile records suffer from pervasive discrimination in many areas of life - employment, housing, education, and eligibility for many forms of social benefits; and
??????WHEREAS,?In 2016, there were nearly 2,800 juvenile dispositions in the Philadelphia juvenile justice system. For each of these young people, a juvenile record documenting their court involvement is widely accessible to individuals beyond the court system. Like adult criminal records, these records impose barriers on youth as they grow into adulthood and seek employment and education opportunities. Research confirms-and the law recognizes-that youth have the capacity for change and rehabilitation, and yet records continue to erect barriers to youths' success as they grow into adulthood; and
??????WHEREAS,?Though Philadelphia's fair-chance hiring and Ban-the-Box policies are important steps toward increasing opportunities for Philadelphia adults with a criminal background, for youth the stakes are even higher. They have yet to build their skills and resumes to demonstrate their qualifications for employment, and their records have the potential to disqualify them from opportunities before they have even crossed the starting line; and
??????WHEREAS,?Youth of color are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, which disproportionately impacts their lives, families, communities, and economic well-being; and
??????WHEREAS,?Juvenile justice-involved youth represent a group of job-seekers, ready to contribute and add to the workforce; now, therefore
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
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