Koch Industries, the company of conservative megadonors Charles and David Koch, will remove questions about prior criminal convictions from its job applications as part of the Kochs' broader criminal justice reform efforts, USA Today reported Monday:
Koch Industries, which employs 60,000 workers in the United States, dropped the questions last month, company officials said. More than half its U.S. jobs are in manufacturing.
The company's CEO, Charles Koch, a billionaire known for his support of Republican candidates and libertarian causes, has made overhauling the criminal-justice system a priority. Mark Holden, Koch's general counsel and senior vice president, said it made common sense for the company to take this step.
"Do we want to be judged for the rest of our life for something that happened on our worst day?" Holden said during an interview with USA TODAY at the company's headquarters.
The "ban the box" movement urges employers to wait until prospective employees are being interviewed or have tentative job offers before asking about their criminal histories. Proponents said it will give ex-felons and others with criminal records a better shot at employment if they are not rejected at the very start of the hiring process.