Milwaukee’s Disregarded Population

Abstract

The research was a partial replication of Devah Pager’s study of the effect of a criminal record on employment opportunities in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin labor market. A quantitative and qualitative method was utilized to examine the effects of a criminal record, race, and the relationship between employers’ willingness to hire ex-offenders and their actual hiring of ex-offenders. An experimental audit was conducted by two testers (one Black male and one White male) to audit 30 employers. The results supported Pager’s findings. There was a dramatic negative effect for the Black male tester. Three themes emerged from the testers’ diaries and debriefings: (a) the application process was influenced in the favor of the White male by a “gatekeeper,” (b) racism was evident, and (c) an emotional effect was noted on both testers. Finally, during a telephone survey of the same employers, they indicated a willingness to hire both ex-offenders regardless of their race, yet the audit revealed the opposite.