Those who have formerly worked as prostitutes and those with convictions for non-violent crimes such as pickpocketing, vandalism or disturbing the peace are being given the opportunity to apply to become Uber drivers.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick says the company is committed to providing opportunities to people with a limited range of options, or to those who have had doors closed on them, as quoted by the Hartfort Courant. On his Facebook page, Kalanick wrote: “To break the cycle of recidivism, we need to give them a second chance.”

(Read also: Uber Indonesia rolls out new tourist-friendly feature)

This policy has already been implemented in California, and will be put into practice in Connecticut by the start of next year. However, Uber said applicants who had felony convictions within the past seven years would be rejected.

As reported by tempo.co, David McGuire, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, argues that the policy is good for public safety in the long term. "When people with a criminal record are able to get employment, it stabilizes their lives [...] and they're less likely to offend again," he said.

This is because, according to David, one of the main reasons people reoffend is because “they have no economic opportunity”.

Uber chief security officer Joe Sullivan assures that the company’s background checks are adequate to keep drivers and passengers safe, adding that through the app’s feedback feature drivers can be easily identified if a problem occurs. (mra/kes)

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