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The U.S. Census Bureau will provide temporary employment for thousands of Americans this year, but if one Congressman gets his way, people with criminal convictions need not apply.<\/p>\nThe U.S. Census Bureau will provide temporary employment for thousands of Americans this year, but if one Congressman gets his way, people with criminal convictions need not apply.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve reported here in recent weeks about the devastating effect the census has on poor communities and inner cities — for example, by counting prisoners<\/a> where they\u2019re incarcerated rather than where they\u2019re from. The census also misses millions of hard-to-count, usually poor individuals<\/a>, which means struggling neighborhoods are denied their fair share of federal and state resources.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the census offers thousands of good temporary jobs — but most don’t go to people with records. The Washington Post<\/em> reports<\/a> that thousands of former prisoners in D.C. and beyond are taking tests to be census takers or clerks. But while census rules on criminal records are vague, it\u2019s clear that most with felony charges on their record won\u2019t get a callback.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Experts in post-release parole and employment tell the Post<\/em> that background checks would be sufficient to weed out dangerous criminals from the census, while still allowing those with old non-violent convictions a chance at the job.\u00a0But Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz (above left) doesn\u2019t see it that way. He introduced a bill<\/a> in January that would prohibit anyone charged with or convicted of a crime<\/em> from serving as a census taker. Chaffetz got fired up about this issue after an error in background checks<\/a> allowed people with serious criminal records to be hired last year. Now, though, his overreaction could mean a missed opportunity for good post-release jobs.<\/p>\n “I don’t want a convicted felon going to knock on Grandma’s door,” Chaffetz said. “With unemployment as high as it is, there are plenty of people who don’t have criminal backgrounds who we can better trust to gather this personal, sensitive information.”<\/p>\n That\u2019s the spirit, Chaffey. Think about it. Every year, we release 700,000 people from prison. Denying them opportunities is a surefire way to make sure they get locked up again (incidentally, on taxpayers like Grandma’s dime).<\/p>\n