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The Freedom Exchange Project Passed their First Law in
2021

Ban The Box

The need to address harmful policies which create barriers for people with justice system involvement are paramount to keeping people out of prison after they are released.

The move to remove the criminal history box from college applications is a necessary step to provide opportunity and a livable wage to the nearly 4,000 individuals that are released from Oregon prisons each year. Thanks to our diligent team, Oregon is now the 6th state to institute a Fair Chances/Ban the Box in Higher Education law.

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Removing the barriers
from higher education for those with a criminal past allows them to grow to their full potential

The recidivism rate drops dramatically with access to higher education:

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  • Masters: less than 1%

  • Baccalaureates: 5.6%

  • Associates: 13.7% 

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There is no evidence suggesting that criminal history considerations are related to campus safety. 

2 out of 3 people that start a college application and select yes to the question regarding criminal history do not finish the application.
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Washington, Colorado, Louisiana, California, Maryland and now Oregon, have all passed similar legislation and none of the colleges or universities have reported an increase in crime that can be attributed to the legislation.

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