St. Louis County, MO  (KTRS)  St. Louis County is joining a national campaign to help job seekers with a criminal record.

On Monday, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger joined other community leaders at the Urban League in north St. Louis County, where he signed executive order to “Ban the Box” for county employment. The order to “Ban the Box” on County job applications means it will delay questions related to an individual’s criminal history until later in the hiring process.

“Banning the Box in St. Louis County government is critical for two reasons,”  Stenger said. “First of all, it aligns with my priority to help all County residents – regardless of their circumstances – to reach their full potential. Second, it makes sense from a practical standpoint as full-time employment is proven to promote rehabilitation while reducing recidivism rates.”

A 2015 study by the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University showed that 72 percent of former prisoners who fail to find full-time work return to prison after two years.

In 2014, the city of St. Louis implemented a Ban The Box Order for city government jobs. Then in 2016, then Governor Jay Nixon signed a “Ban The Box” executive order for state jobs.