Ban the box in New Haven?

New Haven (WTNH) - A big vote is on the table for New Haven's Board of Aldermen. They'll be deciding, Tuesday night, whether people applying for city jobs have to check a box that indicates whether they have a criminal record.

Other American cities have passed similar policies. But in New Haven it would go one step further.

It's fair to say this ordinance, which could make it easier for convicted felons to get city jobs, might rub some people the wrong way at a time when the city is dealing with the issue of layoffs.

The Board of Alderman is voting on whether to eliminate the box on city employment applications that asks if those applying have ever been convicted of a crime.

As of recent, lots of cities have already done that but New Haven's ordinance would go one step further. It would also require city vendors to do the same.

"So if we make you an offer, at that point in time we conduct a criminal background check and if it comes back positive we engage in a balancing process," City of New Haven's Kica Matos said. "We determine whether there's any relationship to the job at hand; this applies not only to the city but with any vendor currently doing business with the city of New Haven."

The city has already eliminated the question from its applications on an administrative basis. The vote will determine if it is to become a law.