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KAYSVILLE — Approximately 1 in 4 Utahns has a criminal record, and Davis Technical College is taking steps to help students navigate past criminal records on their way to employment and professional licensure through a first-of-its-kind partnership with Utah-based Rasa.
Rasa is a legal service that helps people identify and expunge their criminal records along with offering other services.
"Even old and minor records can hold people back long after their involvement in the justice system," Noella Sudbury, CEO and founder of Rasa, said in a statement. "Our mission is to help the Davis Tech community overcome the obstacle of a criminal record before it hinders their opportunities for employment or applying for a professional license."
Through the partnership, all current and former Davis Tech students will receive free access to Rasa's eligibility tool, which can tell students what is on their criminal record and whether it is eligible for expungement. Additionally, the tool will use information reported by the student to connect them with fair chance employment opportunities and other community resources.
"Knowledge is power, and by equipping our students and graduates with the means to overcome challenges, we are enabling them to pursue better job opportunities and achieve their personal as well as professional goals," Davis Tech President Darin Brush said in a statement.
This isn't the school's first venture into expanding educational opportunities for those facing legal trouble. In August 2023, Davis Tech partnered with the Utah State Correctional Facility to bring three new certification programs to female prisoners.
A criminal record often acts as a roadblock to someone's ability to access employment and educational opportunities alike, not only stifling individual potential but also resulting in an estimated $87 billion annual loss to the national economy, according to Rasa.
"We see this partnership as a way to support not only students but the businesses and employers we work with by offering a more diversified and prepared pool of talent to enter the workforce," Brush said. "Too many students and graduates are overlooked because of past mistakes, and we hope to prevent that in the future."
Additionally, a 2021 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that, of more than 50,000 people released from federal prisons in 2010, a staggering 33% found no employment at all over four years post-release and at any given time, no more than 40% of the cohort was employed.
People who did find jobs also faced struggle as formerly incarcerated people in the sample had an average of 3.4 jobs throughout the four-year study period, suggesting that they were landing jobs that didn't offer security or upward mobility.
"We know that one of the best ways to reduce recidivism is to provide access to education and employment. Even an old and minor criminal record can be a barrier to both things," said Brian Redd, executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections. "Helping eligible people move past their records into good jobs strengthens our community and improves public safety for us all."
Sudbury said Rasa hopes to strike more partnerships with higher education institutions and employers to offer relief to students who are being held back by criminal records.
