Boston took a big step this spring to help reintegrate ex-felons into their communities, by easing background checks on potential city employees. The city will not look at people’s criminal records in most cases, but if it does, it will wait until an applicant has proven he is qualified and the city is ready to hire him. If the city changes its mind after looking at the person’s record, the applicant will have the right to challenge the criminal reports’ accuracy. The city’s new policy also applies to private contractors it hires. (NY Times, 3/31/06)