The new National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction resource, launched today - October 31, 2018 by the National Reentry Resource Center and The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, compiles thousands of state and federal statutes into a searchable database, making it easier to identify these obscure regulations that can be triggered by a particular conviction.
Collateral consequences create a range of impediments to a person’s successful reentry into society, which includes restricting access to education and housing, depending on the state and the conviction. More than half of these consequences of conviction also affect employability, either directly or by creating barriers to obtaining occupational licenses for certain jobs. About half of these employment-related consequences—which most prominently impact industries like healthcare, child and elder care, education, finance and transportation—are mandatory and must be imposed where a person has been convicted of a disqualifying offense.
The website, which will be maintained by the CSG Justice Center and is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, offers a database that is searchable by relevant components of the consequence including offense categories, fields of employment, and jurisdiction. The website also offers additional news and resources related to reentry.
