SACRAMENTO – A bill authored by Assembly Member Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) directs the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology to lift a ban on State trained barbers and beauticians with convictions from applying for licenses passed the Assembly with no opposition this week.

State prisons train inmates in barbering and cosmetology but current California law prohibits them from applying for a license when they return to the community. AB 861 lifts this barrier to employment and allows these individuals to apply for a state license to work if they have complied with treatment and parole requirements.

“It is a serious contradiction for the State to provide training in prison for specific vocational programs such as cosmetology, but not allow them to apply for state licensure when they return to the community,” said Bass.

“Reintegrating former prisoners into the community is a growing concern since one out of every five individuals on parole in this country lives in California,” said Bass. According to an Urban Institute study, unemployment for individuals who have been released from prison for several months is 30% to 50%.