Officials from 19 top U.S. companies including Koch Industries and Google signed a pledge with the Obama administration Monday to hire more people with criminal records.
Representatives from American Airlines, Coca-Cola Co., Starbucks, Prudential, Xerox, The Hershey Co., Uber and others met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch and senior presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett at the White House to join the administration’s effort.
The White House said they “discussed their efforts to invest in programs that prevent individuals from interacting with the justice system such as summer opportunities, mentorship programs, and workforce and educational development programs.”
The corporate chiefs also discussed their efforts “to change the culture and stigma around formerly incarcerated individuals.”
President Obama has been pushing criminal justice reform legislation in Congress and is granting clemency at a rapid pace for people mainly convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.
Mark Holden, general counsel and senior vice president at Koch Industries, commended the White House for leading on what he called a “critically important issue.”
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“The pledge is consistent with Koch and Georgia-Pacific’s mission to help people improve their lives and remove barriers to opportunity for all Americans, especially the least advantaged,” Mr. Holden said. “Having a job is one key to a fulfilling life and can deter individuals from committing crimes in the first place. We believe it’s important to consider all factors, including any prior criminal record, in the context of an applicant’s other life experiences to determine whether the individual is the right person for the role.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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