R3 Score Launches Campaign for Americans With Criminal Records

R3 Score Technologies, a newly established public company via a share exchange agreement and software as a service company providing a more contextualized criminal background check, has launched the “Bank on 100 Million” campaign (www.Bankon100Million.com). The campaign is designed to encourage the private sector to evaluate employees and consumers with records more fairly than ever before—treating them as potential candidates rather than unfairly discriminating against them.

Joining the campaign begins with businesses and financial institutions taking the Bank on 100 Million pledge, which simply states the organization's commitment to inclusive policies and practices that do not disqualify talent or customers solely based on a background check—promoting racial and economic equality for all. Beyond the pledge, entities are invited to take the next two steps: build a community of stakeholders to assess current policies and practices (and if necessary establish new ones) and use R3 Score as a means to operationalize their values.

R3 Score was cofounded by a nationally recognized criminal justice advocacy team and is led by Laurin Leonard. Leonard cofounded R3 Score with her mother, Teresa Y. Hodge, as a result of their lived experience with mass incarceration.

“The current climate in America is forcing corporations to evaluate their longstanding systems that have created a culture of dismissing certain candidates due to a criminal record,” Leonard says. “We are proud to launch Bank on 100 Million to inspire change and create opportunities for those constantly judged by their worst mistake and not by their full potential.”

The United States has roughly 5% of the world's population and incarcerates nearly 25% of the world’s prisoners, resulting in 1 in 3 Americans facing inequity and societal barriers due to having an arrest and/or conviction record. Today this equates to 70 million people, and, by the year 2030, it is estimated that there will be more than 100 million Americans with a criminal record. The consequences of a criminal record are innumerable—particularly for people of color, who are disproportionately impacted by the judicial system—leading to reduced employment consideration, lower credit scores, and limited access to educational opportunities and financial services such as checking accounts, home and business loans, and many other products and services that require a credit and/or background check.

The Bank on 100 Million initiative challenges corporations to not only pledge to eradicate racial and systemic inequity but also examine the ways their policies, procedures, and practices may have built-in bias for the 100 million Americans who are disadvantaged by outdated risk models in employment and financial decision-making. Furthermore, the initiative asks companies to pledge to be a fair chance employer or fair chance banking institution. For those who are seeking a tool to operationalize their commitment, R3 Score will provide a discount code to utilize the company’s technology, instantly equipping organizations with an improved criminal background check and alternative credit score tool. Through the use of R3 Score’s tools and resources, consumers with a record can achieve a more equitable chance for opportunity while providing employers a larger and more diverse applicant pool.

Companies across the nation are questioning the status quo in light of the social unrest and the slow pace of criminal justice reform. However, few have articulated actionable plans to tackle the systemic oppression ingrained in America. With nearly 1 in 3 Americans suffering from the effects of police and carceral state expansion, Bank on 100 Million encourages businesses to implement tools and resources that will contribute to driving better outcomes for diverse talent and customer pools. Companies can transcend outdated static risk models and graduate to a modern risk model with the adoption of tools, such as R3 Score, designed to better illustrate the nuance of individuals living with a criminal record.

— Source: R3 Score

WENO Exchange Launches ‘HIPPA Simplified’ for Small Practices

WENO Exchange, LLC announced the availability of HIPPA Simplified, a condensed cyber security privacy and security manual to address HIPAA for small businesses that have access to protected health information (PHI). HIPAA is a federal law that sets a national standard to protect medical records and other personal health information. Its rules are long, complex, and confusing, and there are no clear methods outlines for how to achieve compliance, an often moving target with different criteria for different organizations based on the available resources to secure and safeguard PHI.

WENO Exchange developed HIPPA Simplified, a direct and practical resource for health care providers and business associates that handle PHI and must develop and maintain privacy and security policies and procedures that comply with HIPAA regulations. It focuses on how to manage compliance without having to read thousands of pages or multiple manuals with confusing information or esoteric theories. HIPPA Simplified significantly condenses the overwhelming complexity of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and provides a reference and resources for managers, owners, and privacy/security officers in small organizations.

“HIPAA is a complex law that can affect every aspect of a business and violations can mean staggering and crippling costs with far reaching consequences,” says the founder/CEO of WENO Exchange. “The rules are broad and vague, and the terminology is daunting, which makes it a challenge to start and maintain a HIPAA program, so we broke down compliance into its most basic steps.”

HIPPA Simplified incorporates all of the policies and procedures for employees and business associates in a condensed, easy to follow manual that is less than 30 pages. Chapters are organized by HIPAA regulations and includes forms that can be used or improved upon.

— Source: WENO Exchange, LLC