Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Jan. 16, 2024
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The Facts on Hiring People with Criminal Histories
Some employers are hesitant to hire people with criminal records for fear they will reoffend. But a growing body of RAND research counters this common misperception. Our findings show that most people with a criminal record have just one conviction. In fact, about 75 percent of people with a first conviction don't get a second conviction within 10 years.
Evidence also shows that the type of crime committed is not a reliable predictor of future offenses. By contrast, age and number of convictions are reliable predictors. And, the most reliable predictor is the amount of time that has passed since a person's last conviction; the likelihood of reoffending plummets as more years go by without a conviction.
If more employers consider these facts and make more evidence-based hiring decisions, then it could be a triple win: Companies get the employees they need, people with criminal records get jobs, and society benefits.
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Diplomacy Is Essential to Fully Address the Houthi Threat
Months of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. U.S.-led retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen late last week. And, just over the past 36 hours, fresh developments in the conflict, with a Houthi missile attack on an American-owned cargo ship yesterday and a new round of U.S. strikes earlier today. Tensions are rising in a region that was already on edge. Writing before last week's U.S.-led military action, RAND's Alexandra Stark stressed the importance of diplomacy in dealing with the Houthi threat. Washington's best option, she said, may be to push for an end to the Israel-Hamas war--and to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in general.
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Presidential Coups Are Back. What Can Be Done to Stop Them?
There has been a recent global resurgence of executive coups, or self-coups, in which existing leaders take extreme measures to eliminate, or render powerless, other components of the government. The United States withstood such an attempt on January 6, 2021. But American democracy is not out of the woods yet, says RAND's Alexander Noyes. A host of reforms are needed to strengthen independent checks and balances and lower the risk of future executive coups on U.S. soil. A good place to start: revamping the Insurrection Act.
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** RAND Recommends
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- On CBS News, RAND's Bradley Martin discussed why the United States and the United Kingdom decided to attack Houthi targets in Yemen.
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- Recent RAND survey results show what K12 teachers earn--and what they think about what they earn.
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- RAND's Beth Asch was interviewed on the BBC World Service about why the U.S. Army is struggling to recruit new soldiers.
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** Events
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Harnessing Quantum Technology for the Benefit of Society
Thursday, January 18, 2024 (Online)
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What Americans Think About Veterans--and Why It Matters
Thursday, January 18, 2024 (Online)
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Charting Your Course: A Guide to Analyzing State Policy Studies
Tuesday, January 23, 2024 (Online)
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Not the X-Files: Where Are Americans Reporting UFOs?
Thursday, January 25, 2024 (Online)
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Reforming DoD's Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Process for a Competitive Future
Thursday, February 8, 2024 (Online)
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