Michael Shields – Researcher, Policy Matters Ohio

Dear Colleagues:

The consequences of a criminal conviction can extend far beyond the sentence imposed by the court. Laws that take away voting rights are one well-known consequence, but the deepest effects on individual lives involve restrictions on employment.

In Ohio, access to about one in four jobs can be limited by such collateral sanctions, and nearly a million (one in nine) adults have a felony conviction. The overall pattern of sanctions is a major public policy adopted with little focus on its merits and effects.

There are legitimate reasons for some restrictions. We probably do not want someone who has been convicted of bribery to hold a public job with significant discretion, or persons convicted of violent crimes to join police forces. But reducing peoples’ ability to make a legitimate living can also trigger a cycle of repeat offenses. The large racial and class disparities in conviction rates also mean that collateral sanctions intensify the challenges of poverty and race.

In December of 2018, Policy Matters Ohio and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center issued a report that identifies key issues policy-makers and citizens should be considering. How widespread are these sanctions? Who is affected, and how is that shaped by systemic inequality before the law? What is the evidence about appropriateness of specific sanctions, such as limits on health care employment, and are some especially questionable? What is the cost to individual communities? Join us as Michael Shields, one of the report’s co-authors, joins us to share the findings and discuss alternatives.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

As a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, Michael Shields has reported on a wide range of issues related especially to the labor market and job quality. These include developments in the manufacturing sector; workers compensation; wages and hours policies such as the minimum wage and overtime; access to childcare; and energy policy. Recent studies include reports on the $15 minimum wage, Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Lordstown plant closure, Ohio Civil Rights Commission and potential effects of State Issue 1, in addition to the project on collateral sanctions.

Where We Meet

The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

April 5: Budget Blues: Yes, It Can Get Worse. With Joe White, Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy. ***Alternate Location: Room LL06A/B/C, Lower Level, Kelvin Smith Library***

April 12: The Polar Silk Road? With Kathryn C. Lavelle, Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs.

April 19: Managing in a Trumped-Up Economy. With Mark Sniderman, Executive-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor of Economics, Weatherhead School, and former Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

April 26: What Do We Know About the Health and Safety Effects of Marijuana: Medical, Recreational, or Otherwise? With Theodore Parran Jr. MD, Isabel and Carter Wang Professor and Chair in Medical Education and Associate Director, Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.