Connecticut

Connecticut

Final grade: C-

Exclusion Grade

B-

Relevance Grade

C

Due Process Grade

F

Strengths

  • Boards must consider evidence of rehabilitation.
  • Boards are banned from using arrests and erased records.

Areas of Improvement

  • Ban agencies from using vague standards like “good moral character.”
  • Add safeguards for due process, like requiring a petition process and placing the burden of proof onto the state.

Connecticut earns a final grade of C- for its mediocre protections. In 2017, Connecticut enacted a modest reform that exempts applicants for barber or hairdresser licenses from having to submit to a background check.

Statute: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-80 (2019)

Exclusion
Overarching ban on blanket bans Yes
Ban on considering arrest records Yes
Ban on considering post-conviction relief records Yes, erased records
Time limit No limit
Ban on vague, discretionary character standards No
Relevance
Relationship between the crime and the license sought “The nature of the crime and its relationship to the job for which the person has applied”
Required factors for consideration
Rehabilitation Yes
Time elapsed since crime was committed Yes
Age when crime was committed No
Employment History No
Testimonials No
Due Process
Petition Process No
Burden of Proof Both unspecified
Right to appeal No
Written notice requirement Yes