A run-in with the law isn’t the career death knell that it once was, according to researchers from Harvard Business School. Study authors report many American employers are willing to consider and hire applicants with a criminal record. Employers become even more open to hiring these individuals if offered “crime and safety insurance.” Traditionally, there’s no denying that it’s been tough for job seekers with criminal records. For instance, the unemployment rate among formerly incarcerated individuals was a whopping 27 percent in 2008. That’s higher than the U.S. unemployment rate among the entire population at any point in the nation’s history. Study authors made use of a field experiment to test several approaches aimed at increasing the demand for workers with a criminal background. Importantly, these approaches focused on directly addressing the underlying reasons motivating employers to conduct criminal background checks.