Right to Work & Earn a Living

Occupational licensing has proliferated in recent years, with more and more jobs requiring a professional license from the state before an individual can work in their chosen field. Many licensed occupations prevent individuals with criminal records from seeking a license to work. While certain convictions that are directly related to certain professions could prove disqualifying, blanket restrictions on anyone with a criminal conviction pose undue hardships on individuals seeking to reenter the workforce after completing their sentence. States can revise these restrictions to ensure that individuals are not denied an occupational license for old, unrelated convictions.