New Occupational Licensing Materials for D.C. Workers Who Have Criminal Records

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Occupational Licensing Informational Flyer
Pre-Application Process Informational Flyer
Sample Pre-Approval Letter
Video Explaination of the Process

CCE and the Howard Law Reentry Clinic created a series of educational resources to teach people with returning citizens about their new rights and options under the “Removing Barriers to Occupational Licensing for Returning Citizens Amendment Act of 2019,” enacted in March 2021. One in seven adults in the District has a criminal record; this new law impacts thousands of D.C. residents and opens up more than 100 different professions.

These resources teach people with criminal records about their new rights and options under the law, including by explaining what exactly an occupational license is, the steps people with criminal records may want or need to take when pursuing a particular license, the pre-application process and why a person may choose to participate in that process, and additional resources that are available for people with criminal records pursuing an occupational license.

Thank you to the Spring 2021 Howard Law Reentry Clinic students and Professors Olinda Moyd and Josephine Ross for their partnership in creating these documents. CCE is proud of these new resources and looks forward to continuing to advocate for and empower D.C.’s justice-involved residents.

Also check out CCE's 2017 report, From Prisons to Professions: Increasing Access to Occupational and Professional Licenses for D.C.'s Returning Citizens.