In July 2020, Virginians will be protected by a limited Ban the Box for prior cannabis convictions as part of Virginia’s recently signed law decriminalizing cannabis possession. On May 22, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill prohibiting employers from requiring applicants to disclose information concerning any arrest, charge, or conviction for simple cannabis possession. The law does not cover offenses related to the cannabis distribution, or intent to distribute. The law also applies to schools when screening applicants for admission.
Ban the Box is a modern civil rights movement advocating for the passage of laws throughout the country designed to protect individuals involved with the criminal justice system from unfair and systematic discrimination based on their criminal history. The principal aim of Ban the Box is the passage of laws removing the checkbox asking if applicants for work have a criminal record on hiring applications. Often, Ban the Box laws regulate when and how an employer can consider this information, and some Ban the Box laws provide penalties for applicants who suffer a civil rights violation. It is unclear what enforcement mechanism’s Roseland Park’s new Ban the Box law contains.
