THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Built on evidence. Designed for employers.
Context reflects decades of criminology research into employment outcomes, recidivism, and the relationship between criminal history and future risk. The methodology is designed to provide employers with structured, research-informed context—not to replace professional judgment.
THE PROBLEM
Employers aren’t missing criminal-history data—they’re missing decision support.
For employers
When a background check reveals a conviction, most employers face a difficult judgment call — often without a research-backed, consistent decision-support tool.
For HR & compliance teams
Many teams lack a structured framework for consistent, thoughtful application of criminal-record information, leading to time-consuming, inconsistent outcomes.
THE BUSHWAY OPPORTUNITY SCORE™
Science that brings clarity to hiring decisions.
The Bushway Opportunity Score™ uses a research-based methodology to provide a structured indicator associated with relative reconviction risk for individuals with criminal conviction records—a single, standardized signal that supports more informed, consistent review alongside employer judgment, existing policies, and individualized assessment where appropriate.
Developed by Dr. Shawn D. Bushway, a leading criminologist whose underlying methodology has been incorporated into criminal-history review frameworks used in two major EEOC-approved settlement matters.
The score is informed by factors such as:
- Age at time of screening
- Time since convictions
- Number of prior convictions
- Nature and pattern of prior convictions
CHIEF SCIENTIST
Dr. Shawn D. Bushway
A nationally recognized criminologist whose research has reshaped how policymakers, researchers, and employers understand crime, desistance, and opportunity—the science of how people move forward after a conviction, and how data can tell a more complete, accurate story than stigma or assumption ever could.
Read Dr. Bushway’s full bioFEATURED RESEARCH
- Safe to Hire: Predicting Recidivism Risk for Job Candidates with Criminal Records
The peer-reviewed methodology behind Context — a survival model built on multi-state records data (CJARS, 1992–2021).
- Resetting the Record: The Facts on Hiring People with Criminal Histories
A body of RAND research, grounded in Dr. Bushway's work, countering common myths about reoffending risk in hiring.
WHY IT MATTERS
Better decisions. For everyone.
Supports individualized review
Helps employers apply a more efficient, structured review process when criminal history appears, while preserving the option for individualized assessment.
Expanded talent pool
Many people with records are qualified workers whose records alone may overstate current risk. Context helps employers avoid overlooking them.
More context
Weighs factors associated with reconviction risk — a more structured way to interpret criminal-record information beyond the record alone.
More consistent, better supported
A scientifically grounded, consistently applied tool supports a repeatable framework and helps reduce reliance on blanket exclusions.
Faster & more focused
Helps employers focus additional review where it may be most warranted — without creating a new workflow for every candidate.
Science-backed
Built on decades of criminology research by Dr. Shawn D. Bushway, a leading expert on criminal desistance and recidivism.
See the science put to work.
Context turns this research into a structured, documented review process your team can apply consistently.
Get StartedResearch-informed decision support. Bushway Works Context is not a consumer reporting agency and does not make hiring decisions.