What’s the “Problem” of Considering Criminal History in College Admissions? A Critical Analysis of “Ban the Box” Policies in Louisiana and Maryland

Royel M. Johnson, Rafael E. Alvarado and Kelly Ochs Rosinger

The Journal of Higher Education, 2021, vol. 92, issue 5, 704-734

Abstract: In this study, we examine how the issue of considering criminal history in college admissions is represented and constructed as a problem in Ban the Box (BTB) policies in Maryland and Louisiana. We draw on Bacchi’s “What’s the Problem Represented to be?” approach as an analytic tool to interrogate key policy artifacts such as legislative histories and hearings and the language of enacted policy. Using a multiple case study design, we ask: (a) What is the “problem” represented to be in each state’s BTB policy?, and (b) What are the potential consequences of this representation of the “problem?” Our findings coalesce with those of policy researchers who emphasize the importance of framing problems within their full context. For instance, we demonstrate how reducing the “problem” to the box ignores real, structural barriers and limits equity-minded policy solutions. Further, while each BTB policy appears similar on the surface, we argue that outcomes will likely vary based on how the issue of considering criminal justice history in college admissions is framed and problematized. We conclude by offering directions for future research and specific recommendations for BTB policy design.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00221546.2020.1870849 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:uhejxx:v:92:y:2021:i:5:p:704-734

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/uhej20

DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2020.1870849

Access Statistics for this article

The Journal of Higher Education is currently edited by Mitchell Chang

More articles in The Journal of Higher Education from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().