Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Hamid Kazeroony

Abstract

Felony convictions leave ex-offenders searching for employment but are regularly denied jobs due to their status as past felons. Inability to obtain employment has been shown to increase recidivism. The research problem was that the hiring managers' perception of the applicants with past criminal convictions could distort their hiring decisions. This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experiences of seven human resources managers within New York City through random sampling. This study's conceptual framework was grounded in Durkheim's labeling and Goffman's social stigma theories. The research question asked what the lived experiences of hiring managers were when making decisions about applicants with a prior criminal background. Data were collected using semistructured web-based interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were coded and analyzed for themes. Three themes emerged that included managers’ perception and hiring decisions and the severity of applicants’ crimes. The results indicated that hiring managers’ perceptions of specific crimes are obstacles for ex-offenders seeking employment. The study’s findings may have positive social implications for developing public policies, reducing recidivism, and resetting the parameters for aligning the severity of crimes with organizational policy to improve the chances of previously incarcerated individuals obtaining employment and supporting their integration into society.

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