Koch Brothers Ask Donors to 'Ban the Box' on Job Applications
Charles Koch said the nation's drug laws need to be reformed.
— -- Billionaire businessmen and political activists Charles and David Koch today asked their powerful network of donors to "Ban the Box” at their businesses.
Many job applications include a box that must be checked by anyone with a felony prison record. In a letter to members of their donor network, known as Freedom Partners, the Kochs asked business owners to remove the requirement as a first step toward broader criminal justice reform.
“Government isn’t the only place where criminal justice reform can and should happen. The business community and other private-sector organizations also have a critical role to play,” Freedom Partners chairman Mark Holden wrote in the letter to members of the Koch network.
Holden said "banning the box" would prevent "capable and qualified" job applicants from immediate rejection because of their criminal records.
“There are plenty of people who have been arrested and gotten out who are good people,” Charles Koch recently told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. “And a good part of it is the drug laws. I think we need to reform the drug laws so we help people rather than treat them as criminals.”