Can the post office hire someone with a misdemeanor drug charge?

Answer 1

AnswerYes. USPS Handbook EL-312, Section 514 requires background checks and review of criminal history. Felonies do not automatically bar applicants from being hired. The agency must only consider the crime that they were actually convicted of, not originally charged with.

It is Postal Service policy to evaluate the employability of each applicant with a criminal conviction record individually. The fact that an applicant has a criminal conviction record is not sufficient to disqualify that applicant from postal employment. Instead, an applicant should be rejected on the basis of a history of criminal conviction only after a specific finding that the history is directly related to the applicant's present capacity to perform as a Postal Service employee. To the extent available, such factors as the following must be considered during such an evaluation:

1. Applicant's age at the time of each offense.
2. Nature and underlying circumstances of the offense.
3. Length of time elapsed since the applicant's offense.
4. Evidence of efforts toward rehabilitation, including job training or educational programs the applicant may have participated in during incarceration.
5. Information supplied by penal authorities, parole and probation officers, social workers, or social agencies regarding the applicant's progress toward rehabilitation or employability.
6. Applicant's employment record, including participation in a job training program.
7. Dispensations that may have been granted by the authorities to evidence the applicant's rehabilitation such as certificates of relief from disabilities, certificates of good conduct, and certificates restoring civil rights.
8. Nature and location of the position sought by the applicant.