Growing use of FBI screens raises concerns over accuracy, racial bias - The Washington Post
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/growing-use-of-fbi-screens-raises-concerns-over-accuracy-racial-bias/2013/07/29/d201ecda-f49f-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html
Employers are increasingly turning to the FBI’s criminal databases to screen job applicants, sparking concerns about the accuracy of the agency’s information and the potential for racial discrimination.
Many of the FBI’s records list only arrests and not the outcomes of those cases, such as convictions. Consumer groups say that missing information often results in job applicants who are wrongfully rejected. A lawsuit filed against the Commerce Department by minorities alleges that the use of incomplete databases means that African Americans and Hispanics are denied work in disproportionate numbers.
Twenty states say that as many as 30 percent of their case files do not include a final ruling, making it unclear whether someone who was arrested was convicted. Because African Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but 28 percent of all arrests, some advocates say the inaccuracy of case files puts higher numbers of African Americans at risk when applying for jobs that require background checks. Overall, the number of FBI background checks for employers has increased six fold since 2002.
