BAME groups are overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice system. According to a recent review led by David Lammy MP, black men are three times more likely to be arrested than white men. The same review found that men from BAME backgrounds are 16% more likely than white men to be remanded in custody.
But what does this mean for workplace diversity?
Employers that exclude people with criminal convictions through a tick box approach could be inadvertently reducing the diversity of their workforce. What’s more, by denying ex-offenders the opportunity to find work, employers are in danger of locking in these patterns of disproportionality.
In this short webinar between 2pm and 2.45pm on Wednesday 10th May:
- Find out more about Ban the Box from our campaign expert Nicola Inge and diversity expert Patricia Chinyoka
- Get familiar with the potential legal considerations from Freshfields
- Hear from Ricoh about their commitment to attracting a diverse workforce and why they are Ban the Box employers
Confirmed speakers:
- Nicola Inge, Campaign Manager, BITC
- Patricia Chinyoka, Diversity Advisor, BITC
- Annette Byron, Partner, and Nicholas Squire, Partner, Freshfields
- Rebekah Wallis, Director – People & CR, Ricoh
Background
Ban the Box calls on UK employers to value applicants’ skills and abilities first, by removing the tick box from application forms and asking about criminal convictions later in the recruitment process. So far, 78 employers have committed to creating fair employment opportunities for ex-offenders across more than 700,000 roles.
