Megan Denver

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Northeastern University

A common concern in hiring individuals with criminal convictions is the stigma associated with the criminal record, which can include negative consumer reactions. We provide two novel tests of courtesy stigma, or the idea of transferring negative traits from one entity to another, through a nationwide survey. Using a conjoint experiment and a follo...

Despite prior negative experiences with the law and licensure barriers, individuals with conviction histories are increasingly seeking entry into the legal profession. To understand their unique educational journeys from a joint stigma and legal consciousness perspective, we conducted in-depth interviews with prospective, current, and former law st...

The findings from prior research indicate that positive credentials, or documentation of prosocial accomplishments, can vary in strength and perceived value in mitigating aversions to hiring individuals with criminal records. In the current study, we examine why certain types of positive credentials may be more influential in reducing stigma than o...

In the spring and summer of 2020, a remarkable number of Americans participated in a remarkable number of protests in support of Black Lives Matter. How did the general public understand these protests, and where does support for the movement stand overall? We answer this question by drawing on several national surveys from 2020 and then examining...

Objectives Disqualifying conviction lists (DCLs) bar applicants with certain convictions within specified timeframes from employment. Using proposed federal legislative changes in the aviation sector as a case study, we examine whether convictions under the existing policy are associated with subsequent arrest. Then we consider the implications of...

This National Institute of Justice white paper is one of three in a series. The goal of this white paper is to identify strategies for connecting individuals with criminal records who do not pose an unreasonable risk to public safety to long-term employment in the rapidly growing health care sector. This paper has five key objectives: 1) Describe...

Much prior research has examined the sources of individuals’ attitudes toward the application of punishment via the justice system. Some findings from this literature suggest that punitive attitudes are expressive, retributive, and closely connected to racial resentment. Other research, however, emphasizes that these sentiments are instrumental, ut...

Objectives To assess the impact of positive credentials on perceptions of individuals with criminal records and whether the effects of credentials differ by the type of conviction or the criminal record holder’s race. Methods We present fictional job applicant details to a nationwide survey of American adults ( n = 5,822) using a factorial design....

Purpose Employers using criminal background checks to make hiring determinations must carefully balance the need to protect themselves and their clients against legal mandates designed to protect the rights of individuals with criminal records. Yet, surprisingly little research examines this balancing act. The purpose of this paper is to examine ho...

While hazard analyses allow researchers to identify distributional changes over time, this powerful benefit is often underutilized. This article incorporates the shape parameter—in addition to level—into lognormal hazard models to examine recidivism patterns for individuals returning home from prison. Using a sample of adults released in 1994 from...

Decision makers increasingly incorporate “evidence of rehabilitation” into criminal background checks. Positive credentials can decrease criminal record stigma and improve employment outcomes, but we lack research on whether rehabilitative factors used in such assessments are correlated with recidivism. The current study examines more than 1,000 st...

Decision makers such as employers and state occupational licensing officials are often encouraged or required to incorporate evidence of rehabilitation into hiring decisions when applicants have criminal records. Current policy movements at the local, state, and federal levels may increase the use of such individualized assessments. Yet little is k...

Ban-the-Box (BTB) legislation, which bans employers from asking about criminal history records on the initial job application, is arguably the most prominent policy arising from the prisoner reentry movement. BTB policies assume: 1) most employers ask about criminal records, and 2) inquiries occur at the application stage. However, we lack reliable...

Current U.S. policy allows private companies to publish arrest records prior to conviction in print and online sources, yet little is known regarding the extent to which people actively search for criminal records or whether the public supports these policies. Utilizing two large public opinion surveys (N = 1,008 and N = 1,601), we find that approx...

After years of stagnation, labeling theory recently gained new empirical support. Simultaneously, new policy initiatives have attempted to manage the construction of criminal record stigma to reduce reintegration barriers, and subsequent recidivism, driven by labeling. For example, the Department of Justice (DOJ) adopted a policy in April of 2016 t...

Criminal background checks are increasingly being incorporated into hiring decisions by employers. Although originally uncompromising—almost anyone with a criminal record could be denied employment—court rulings and policy changes have forced criminal background checks to become more nuanced. One motivation for allowing more individuals with crimin...

Objectives Redemption scholars estimate that after an average of 7-10 years pass without a new arrest or conviction, a person’s criminal record essentially loses its predictive value. This article provides the first labor market and recidivism estimates of implementing a criminal background check decision guideline based on this redemption research...

Although dynamic mapping is an increasingly popular tool for law enforcement, this technology is uncommon for reentry practitioners. This article introduces the Community Supervision Mapping System (CSMS), a web-based tool that routinely integrates Rhode Island Department of Corrections data into a user-friendly interface designed for those who sup...

The purpose of this article is to determine whether race (a juror’s race, racial composition of the jury, race of the jury foreperson, and defendant—victim racial composition) and perceptions of procedural justice affect capital jurors’ willingness to serve again. Using logistic regression, data from 662 capital jurors are analyzed. A direct test o...

The history of capital punishment in the USA reveals a cyclical pattern: critiques of existing methods of execution inspire the adoption of a new method that is presented as more humane and less problematic; this in turn leads to a new round of criticism. The historical shift from hanging to death by electrocution, gas chamber, and — most recently...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide background information on a rarely studied response capability of communities across the USA, local, mostly volunteer search and rescue (SAR) teams. Design/methodology/approach Information on local teams was collected from January 2005 until February 2006 through internet searches, online SAR organiz...

The objective of this chapter is to review what is known about search and rescue activities in disasters, including heavy urban search and rescue teams. The accumulation of scientific knowledge about search and rescue (SAR), which is, as reflected in this chapter, disproportionately centered on disasters in the United States, allows us to identify...