Amendments to Massachusetts Law Concerning Criminal History Inquiries

By Justin L. Engel

In October 2018, amendments to Massachusetts law concerning employer criminal history inquiries became effective.  Under the previous version of the law, employers were prohibited from asking about: (i) an arrest, detention, or disposition regarding any violation of law in which no conviction resulted; (ii) a first conviction for any of the following misdemeanors: drunkenness, simple assault, speeding, minor traffic violations, affray, or disturbance of the peace; or (iii) any conviction of a misdemeanor where the date of the conviction or the completion of any period of incarceration resulting therefrom, whichever is later, occurred more than five years prior to the inquiry, unless the person had been convicted of any offense in the five years immediately preceding the inquiry.  Also, employers seeking information about an applicant’s prior arrests or convictions have long been required to include specific language notifying the applicant that he or she may answer “no record” in response to an inquiry about a matter that is sealed and providing other disclaimers.  Additionally, since 2010, Massachusetts employers have been prohibited from making any criminal history inquiries on the initial written employment application or prior to an interview.

The new law amends these restrictions in three ways: Read more