CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR, 201X, Vol. XX, No. X, Month 2020, 1–20. DOI: h t t p s : / / do i . o r g / 10.1177/0093854820919914 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions © 2020 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology 1 EMPLOYER PERCEPTIONS OF HIRING JUVENILES WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS HEATHER GRILLER CLARK SARUP R. MATHUR MOLLY OTT Arizona State University TERRENCE S. MCTIER JR. Ohio University A key determinant of reentry success for justice-involved youth is productive engagement in school or work. Lack of employment for this population is often tied to inadequate vocational training, work experience, job opportunities, or the stigma attached to incarceration. Although very few studies have been conducted on employers’ perceptions of juveniles with criminal records, research suggests that views related to hiring may vary according to crime type. The purpose of this study was to explore how likely employers would be to grant an interview to a juvenile with a criminal background, and what experience, training, or skills employers seek when hiring juveniles with criminal backgrounds. The results indicate that, all else being equal, a juvenile record might penalize an applicant’s opportunities, and also, offense type matters. The implications of this study are discussed in relation to employment preparation and reentry services and supports for jus- tice-involved youth. Keywords: employment; justice-involved youth; juvenile justice; perceptions; reentry; reintegration; youth I t is estimated that one-third of Americans, or between 70 and 100 million individuals, have a criminal record (Vallas & Dietrich, 2014). The implications of mass incarcera- tion for communities, social systems, the economy, and employers are broad. After serv- ing their sentences, individuals with criminal records struggle to find gainful employment. A recent study found that only 55% of formerly incarcerated adults reported any earnings 1 year postrelease, while the median annual income of those who were employed was only US$10,090 (Looney & Turner, 2018). The collective amount of employment losses for this population is estimated to be about US$65 billion annually (Schmitt & Warner, 2011; Vallas & Dietrich, 2014). AUTHORS’ NOTE: This research was supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (2015-RV-BX-0001). Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policy of the Department of Justice, and no official endorsement by the Department should be inferred. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Heather Griller Clark, Principal Research Specialist, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871811, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA. e-mail: hgriller@asu.edu. 919914CJB XX X 10.1177/0093854820919914Criminal Justice and BehaviorClark et al. / Employer Perceptions research-article 2020