There is one question that determines whether you get hired. Not the application. Not the background check. Not what the charge was or how long you were inside.
The question is this: why you, over the thirty other people I could hire who don't have a criminal record?
If you walk in without a ready answer, you will not get the job. The interviewer can see the pause the moment you don't have something prepared, and once they see it, the room shifts against you. What you need is an answer practiced enough to say with confidence and humility at the same time.
The answer that works is this:
Everybody deserves a second chance. Somebody is going to give me one. And they are going to get the best employee they ever had, because I am never, ever going to do something that sends me back to prison.
Say it clean. Say it without flinching. It makes no excuses, asks for no sympathy, and tells the employer the one thing they actually need to know: you have more reason to perform than anyone else in that stack.
Then live it. The light is on you from the first day. Use it. Work twice as hard as the person next to you. Show up earlier, stay later, and make that scrutiny your shining light, not a shadow. The person standing next to you does not have anyone watching them that closely. You do. That is the advantage if you decide to use it.
What the Law in Missouri Says About Your Record
Missouri has no statewide ban the box law for private employers. A private company outside of certain Missouri cities can ask about your criminal history on the initial application and make a decision based on it without any state-mandated timing requirement. A 2016 executive order covers some state agency employment, but does not reach private employers. There is no state lookback limit on conviction reporting -- felony and misdemeanor convictions can be considered indefinitely.
Three Missouri cities have passed local ordinances that protect private sector applicants.
Kansas City, Missouri has the most developed protections. Ordinance 180034 (2018) first required private employers with six or more employees to wait until after the applicant has been determined otherwise qualified and has been interviewed before asking about criminal history. In January 2025, Kansas City went further with Ordinance 241074, adding criminal history status as a protected class under the city's civil rights ordinance. This means Kansas City employers cannot discriminate in employment, housing, or public accommodations based solely on criminal history. If you are applying in Kansas City, these combined protections are among the strongest of any city in the Midwest.
St. Louis enacted its own ban the box ordinance for private employers effective January 1, 2021. Covered employers in St. Louis cannot inquire about criminal history or make decisions based on it until after an interview or conditional offer.
Columbia, Missouri also has a local fair chance ordinance.
Outside Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia, there is no timing protection for private sector applicants in Missouri. Federal FCRA protections apply statewide -- any employer using a consumer reporting agency must get your written consent and provide notice before adverse action. The FCRA also limits reporting of non-conviction records (arrests without conviction) to seven years.
Missouri's most significant recent development for returning citizens is the 2025 expungement reform. Senate Bill 754, effective January 1, 2025, dramatically expanded Missouri's expungement law. If you have a conviction that might qualify, this law changes your situation significantly.
Building the Answer Before You Need It
In most of Missouri, the answer you walk in with is your protection.
Missouri Department of Corrections joined the national Reentry 2030 initiative with specific, measurable employment goals: 100% of incarcerated Missourians needing career services should receive them; 85% employed within 30 days of release; 80% maintaining employment for at least nine months post-release. The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development is expanding its pre- and post-release employment services partnership with the DOC. In March 2024, Missouri DOC hosted a Second Chance Employer Summit in Jefferson City, bringing together state leaders, employers, and advocates to build the business case for hiring returning citizens.
The Transition Center of St. Louis (TCSTL) and Transition Center of Kansas City (TCKC) are residential probation and parole facilities running four-tiered programs that prepare returning Missourians for reintegration. Missouri DOC also partners with multiple nonprofit organizations offering in-person, pre-release reentry programs.
Start with what you did with your time inside. Any vocational training, education, programming, or certification completes directly into your answer. Then connect it specifically to what this employer needs.
Missouri's economy runs on manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, healthcare, financial services, and government contracting. Whatever you are applying for, make the answer specific to what that employer needs.
Practice it out loud. Until the hesitation is completely gone. The pause is what loses the room. Eliminate it before you sit down.
Companies in Missouri That Hire People with Criminal Records
Missouri's economy, anchored by St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and a network of agricultural and manufacturing communities, creates consistent demand across sectors.
Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, and major food service operators have Missouri operations and national fair chance commitments. Ford Assembly Plant in Kansas City and its supplier network hire in manufacturing and production. Boeing has significant operations in the St. Louis area and in defense contracting. Healthcare systems including Mercy Health, SSM Health, and BJC HealthCare hire in support and entry-level roles. Logistics and distribution along I-70 and I-44 corridors create consistent warehouse and transportation demand. Anheuser-Busch operations in St. Louis and the agricultural processing sector across the state create food and beverage production demand.
In Kansas City, the 2025 civil rights ordinance makes criminal history discrimination in hiring a legal violation. Concordance Employment Agency in St. Louis specifically helps returning citizens overcome employment obstacles and connects them to employer networks.
Missouri Job Centers statewide provide employment connections, training referrals, and support for second-chance hiring.
Staffing agencies across St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia are the most accessible first step, placing workers in manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing with more flexibility than direct hire.
For the full national list of companies with public fair chance commitments, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.
The Tax Credit Employers Get for Hiring You
Here is the closing argument for every conversation with an employer on the fence.
There is a federal program called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC. When an employer hires someone from a qualifying group, including individuals recently released from prison, the employer may receive a significant federal tax credit per qualifying hire. That is not charity. It is a business incentive the federal government created specifically to make hiring returning citizens financially advantageous.
You are not asking anyone to take a risk on you. You are telling them your hire comes with a tax benefit attached that none of the other thirty applicants can offer. Say it at the end of the interview, after you have made your case: I qualify for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Hiring me may put money back in your business. And I will give you the best work you have ever gotten from a new hire, because I have too much to lose to give you anything less.
Missouri Job Centers coordinate WOTC certification and Federal Bonding access for employers statewide.
Where to Get Help in Missouri
Missouri Job Centers, operated through the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, provide job search assistance, training referrals, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access statewide. Find your nearest center at jobs.mo.gov.
Missouri Department of Corrections Office of Reentry Services coordinates wrap-around support for Missourians preparing for release, partnering with community organizations and local businesses. Transition Centers of St. Louis and Kansas City provide residential programs with four-tiered reentry support. Contact through doc.mo.gov.
Concordance Employment Agency (St. Louis) helps returning citizens overcome employment obstacles and navigate job opportunities. Contact through concordancestl.org.
Second Chance Reentry Program (Kansas City, funded by COMBAT) provides case management, employment services, cognitive intervention, and violence reduction support for returning citizens in Kansas City communities. Contact through Jackson County COMBAT.
Connections to Success (St. Louis and Kansas City) provides employment navigation and economic independence support for returning citizens. Contact through connectionstosuccess.org.
Missouri Legal Services organizations and the Missouri Bar Lawyer Referral Service can connect returning citizens with guidance on expungement eligibility under the expanded 2025 law. Self-help expungement forms are available at courts.mo.gov.
The Federal Bonding Program, coordinated through Missouri Job Centers, provides free fidelity bonding to employers who hire returning citizens.
Frequently asked questions
Can employers in Missouri ask about my criminal record?
Outside Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia, private employers in Missouri face no timing restriction on when they can ask about criminal history. They can ask on the initial application with no statewide requirement to delay. Kansas City's Ordinance 180034 (2018) requires private employers with 6+ employees to wait until after an interview. Kansas City's Ordinance 241074 (2025) makes criminal history status a protected class, prohibiting discrimination based solely on criminal record. St. Louis requires employers to delay inquiry until after an interview or conditional offer. Federal FCRA protections apply statewide. Records expunged under Missouri's SB 754 (2025) are sealed from most background checks.
Does Missouri have ban the box for private employers?
Not statewide. A 2016 executive order covers some state agencies. Kansas City (6+ employees, post-interview), St. Louis (post-interview/conditional offer), and Columbia have local private employer ordinances. Kansas City went further in 2025 by adding criminal history as a protected class under its civil rights ordinance. Elsewhere in Missouri, there is no timing protection for private employers. Missouri's strongest tool for most returning citizens is the 2025 expungement reform, which can remove qualifying records from background checks entirely.
What jobs can I not get with a felony in Missouri?
Specific licensed fields including healthcare with patient contact (MRS §192.2495 mandates checks and prohibits certain convictions), childcare, education, law enforcement, and some financial services have statutory requirements. Research the specific licensing board before investing in training. For most private sector manufacturing, logistics, food service, retail, and construction employment, the decision rests with the individual employer. Kansas City's 2025 ordinance limits how criminal history can be used in employment decisions for covered employers.
How do I explain my record in a job interview?
Do not pause. Come in with the answer ready: everybody deserves a second chance, somebody is going to give me one, and they are going to get the best employee they ever had because you are never going back. In Kansas City or St. Louis, the law may have already given you the interview before your record came up. Everywhere else in Missouri, your answer is your protection. Connect what you did inside specifically to what this employer needs. Close by mentioning that your hire qualifies for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. End strong. And check your expungement eligibility under the 2025 law -- your record may be clearable sooner than you think.
What is the Work Opportunity Tax Credit?
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC, is a federal tax credit available to employers who hire workers from qualifying groups, including people recently released from prison. The credit can be significant per qualifying hire based on wages and hours worked in the first year. It is administered through the IRS and the Department of Labor. Missouri Job Centers coordinate certification for employers statewide. It is a real financial incentive, and you should mention it at the end of every interview.
Do employers get a tax credit for hiring ex-felons?
Yes. Under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, employers who hire qualifying returning citizens may receive a meaningful federal tax credit. Bring this up at the end of your interview as a closing argument. Your hire comes with a tax benefit the other applicants cannot offer. Ask your Missouri Job Center counselor for documentation you can share with a prospective employer so they can apply for the credit.
What Missouri programs help people with records find work?
Missouri Job Centers statewide offer job search help, training referrals, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access. Missouri DOC Office of Reentry Services and the Transition Centers of St. Louis and Kansas City provide pre-release programs and community connections. Missouri DOC's Reentry 2030 goals include 85% employed within 30 days of release and 80% maintaining employment for 9 months. Concordance Employment Agency in St. Louis provides direct employment navigation for returning citizens. Second Chance Reentry Program in Kansas City provides case management and employment services. Connections to Success serves St. Louis and Kansas City. Missouri Legal Services provides expungement guidance.
Can I get my record expunged in Missouri?
Missouri's Senate Bill 754 (effective January 1, 2025) dramatically expanded expungement access. Waiting periods were reduced: felony convictions now require 3 years after completing sentence (down from 7); misdemeanors require 1 year (down from 3); arrests without charges require 18 months from arrest. Lifetime caps expanded: up to 2 felony expungements and 3 misdemeanor expungements. As of August 28, 2025, Missouri began automatically expunging qualifying records without a petition for those under the offense limits. Excluded: violent felonies, sex offenses, crimes against minors, and certain other serious offenses. Self-help forms at courts.mo.gov. Contact Missouri Legal Services for eligibility guidance.
What companies in Missouri hire people with felonies?
Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, and major food service operators have Missouri operations and national fair chance commitments. Ford Assembly in Kansas City and supplier networks hire in manufacturing. Boeing operations in St. Louis hire in aerospace and defense. Mercy Health, SSM Health, and BJC HealthCare hire in support roles. Anheuser-Busch and agricultural processors hire in food and beverage production. Concordance Employment Agency connects returning citizens to St. Louis employer networks. Missouri Job Centers provide second-chance employer connections statewide. Staffing agencies across St. Louis and Kansas City are the most accessible first step. For the full national list, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.
How do I get hired if I have a long gap in my work history?
Name what you did inside and present it as work with context. Missouri DOC vocational training, education, programming, and Transition Center participation are all content. Missouri's 2025 expungement law may allow you to clear your record much sooner than under old law -- a 3-year wait for felonies and 1-year for misdemeanors after completing sentence. If qualifying records were automatically expunged beginning August 2025, they may not appear on your background check at all. Missouri Job Centers, Concordance Employment Agency, and Connections to Success provide post-release employment support. Staffing agencies are the fastest path back into regular employment. Build ninety days of solid performance anywhere and that recent record becomes what employers see instead of the gap. ---