Summary

More than 70 million Americans have some sort of criminal or arrest record. For many, that can prevent them from passing a background check and getting a job. Amna Nawaz profiles one woman’s fight to overcome her past, and prove herself at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. It’s part of our Searching for Justice series, which looks at the challenges after incarceration.

Five Facts

• How many Americans have arrest records, according to the intro of this piece?


• Who is profiled in this piece and what is her background?


• What happened to Winner when she was interviewed by Microsoft after she was released from prison?


• Why was Winner able to have her application considered again by Microsoft even though she was originally rejected because of her arrest record?


• What are "ban-the-box" rules, and what states have them?

Focus Questions

Do you think employers should be able to ask about arrest histories? What do you think is a fair way to allow people to move past "invisible hand-cuffs"? Media literacy: Why do you think this piece focuses on just one person with an arrest record, and how do you think she was chosen as the subject of the profile?

For More

For more from NewsHour's Searching for justice series, see this .