Laws regarding ban-the-box made in 2013 have no uniformity, and new laws in the works for 2014 look to add even more confusion for US based employers. In some jurisdictions and States that have enacted ban-the-box legislation aren’t just removing the “criminal history” checkbox on job applications, they also require the employer to wait until after the first phase of the employment screening process before placing a criminal background check on the applicant. Initial phase can be unclear but typically means after a first interview has been conducted. Some States like Hawaii make employers wait until after a conditional offer of employment has been made in order to perform a criminal background check on the applicant. One thing is clear, this initiative is not going away and more ban-the-box laws are going into effect in 2014 leaving employers to scramble to make sure their 2014 employment screening policies stay or become compliant with local and State laws. Partnering with an independent third party background screening company can greatly assist employers stay compliant with laws concerning employment screening, especially ban-the-box related laws. To read more regarding the impact of ban-the-box legislation view recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2014-1-13-Background-Screening-Trends-2014.html