Certificate of Qualification for Employment: New Help with Jobs for People with a Criminal Record
A major problem for people with criminal convictions is finding or keeping jobs. Until recently, the only help available was to seal the criminal record. Ohio's new law allows more people to seal a criminal record. (More information about sealing criminal records can be found at http://lasclev.org/category/faqs/work-faqs/).
Still, not everyone with a criminal conviction can seal that record. They often have a hard time finding a job. Now, people with convictions can apply for a Certificate of Qualification for Employment (CQE). A CQE potentially allows people with convictions to overcome barriers to getting jobs and certain job related licenses.
In general, a CQE changes the rules so people with certain convictions can be considered for jobs that they would otherwise not be allowed to do. The CQE gives a potential employer or licensing agency the option to consider the applicant for a job or license. The CQE does not guarantee employment or a license; it merely opens the door so that people with criminal records have the opportunity to apply.
CQEs are granted by local common pleas courts. The court must decide three things in order to award a person a CQE:
- that the CQE will materially help the person in getting a job or license;
- that the person has a great need for the help it would bring; and
- that giving the CQE will not pose an unfair risk to the safety of the public.
Interested people can apply for a CQE online at the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's website, www.drccqe.com. A person with misdemeanor convictions must wait six months before applying. Persons with felonies must wait one year. The courts just recently started accepting applications for CQEs. We will learn more about how CQEs are treated by courts and employers over the next several months.
This article was written by Legal Aid Managing Attorney Stephanie Jackson and appeared in The Alert: Volume 29, Issue 2. Click here to read the full issue.