Hidden Costs of Ban the Box Laws: Unraveling the Effects on Drug‐Related Deaths
研究发现，适用于私人和公共雇主的禁止询问犯罪记录法在实施两年后，导致黑人和西班牙裔男性的药物相关死亡率上升超过35%，主要机制是劳动机会减少。
Ban the Box (BTB) laws delay criminal background checks until the later stages of the hiring process. This study provides new evidence that BTB laws that apply to both private and public employers have negative spillover effects beyond labor market outcomes. Drawing on data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), I investigate the impact of BTB laws on drug-related mortality. Two years after adoption, BTB laws are associated with more than a 35 percent increase in drug-related mortality among Black and Hispanic men. The main mechanism appears to be diminished labor opportunities. BTB adoption reduces wages and the probability of employment among Black and Hispanic men.