Report in support of the Fair Access to Education Act

SUMMARY 

The Corrections and Community Reentry Committee (Allegra Glashausser, Chair) issued a report in support of the Fair Access to Education Act. The bill, which is currently pending in the New York State Legislature, would prohibit colleges from discriminating against individuals previously convicted of one or more criminal offenses. Under the bill, colleges would be prohibited from asking  an applicant about his or her criminal history until the applicant has been accepted for admission. The Committee supports this change in policy as a way to remove existing educational barriers faced by college applicants with criminal records, many of whom do not complete the application process due to the criminal history question. The bill also would prevent colleges from asking about arrests that did not result in a conviction or about sealed convictions.  However, the bill does allow colleges to ask applicants, once accepted, about their criminal history and to use that information in a way that is appropriately limited. The Committee believes the bill is an important first step to increasing access to higher education for New Yorkers with criminal histories, which reduces the risk of future recidivism, while at the same time, not limiting a college’s ability to obtain such information from a student who has been accepted.  

BILL INFORMATION

A.3363 (AM Peoples-Stokes) / S.969 (Sen. Montgomery) – would prevent discrimination in the college admission process for individuals previously convicted of one or more criminal offenses (NYS 2015-16)