Jobs for Felons in Connecticut

Since January 1, 2017, almost every Connecticut employer, private or public, with even one employee cannot ask about arrests, charges or convictions on the first job application. The exceptions: a state or federal law requires the question, or the job needs a security or fidelity bond. The employer can still ask later in the process.

Connecticut law also says an employer may not ask about convictions until you have been found otherwise qualified for the job. That rule sits in a section mostly about state jobs, and it is not settled how far it reaches private employers, so check whether this applies to you before you rely on it.

An employer cannot make you reveal an erased record, and cannot turn you down or fire you just because you have one. Any application that asks about criminal history must tell you that you do not have to disclose erased records. Legally, you are treated as never arrested for an erased case, and you may say so under oath.

Since 2023 it is also a discriminatory practice for an employer to treat you differently in pay or job terms because of an erased record.

If an employer asks on the first application, or holds an erased record or a covered conviction against you, you can file a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) or sue in Superior Court. Your choice.

The Certificate of Employability (legally a “provisional pardon” or “certificate of rehabilitation”) is a state document saying your record should not keep you from a job or a license. An employer cannot turn you down or fire you solely because of a conviction the certificate covers. It does not erase the record, and you may still have to disclose the conviction where the law requires. You apply online to the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

An absolute pardon from the Board of Pardons and Paroles erases your Connecticut adult convictions. You can apply 3 years after a misdemeanor conviction and 5 years after a felony conviction. The Board charges no fee to apply, and applications are online only.

For offenses on or after January 1, 2000, most misdemeanors are erased automatically 7 years after your most recent conviction, and class D and E felonies (and unclassified felonies with a maximum of 5 years or less) 10 years after your most recent conviction. The clock runs from your most recent conviction, so a new one restarts it. You must be done with any prison, parole and probation, and have no pending charges. For offenses before 2000, you file a petition.

Clean Slate does not erase class A, B or C felonies, family violence convictions from 2000 on, sex offenses, a long list of other named offenses, or a DUI followed by another DUI within 10 years. For those, the path is an absolute pardon.

We found no Connecticut law that limits how many years back a check can report a conviction, and federal law puts no time limit on convictions.

But Connecticut requires background check companies that buy court data to delete erased records within 30 days of learning about the erasure, and to tell you when they are reporting criminal records about you for a job, including who is getting the report. If an erased case shows up, that is worth a call to legal aid.

A conviction alone cannot disqualify you from a state job or a state license. The state or licensing agency can say no only after weighing how the crime relates to the job, your rehabilitation, and the time since conviction or release. A Certificate of Employability creates a presumption that you are rehabilitated. If your record is the reason for a rejection, it must be in writing, with the evidence and reasons, sent by registered mail.

Federal EEOC guidance from 2012 warns employers that blanket “no felons” policies can violate Title VII, but since April 2025 a federal executive order has told agencies to deprioritize this kind of case. In Connecticut, the state rules above and a CHRO complaint are the stronger path.