As Director of the Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI) at the Cornell ILR School’s Center for Applied Research on Work, Timothy McNutt uses his extensive background in criminal law, litigation, and policy to assist people with criminal records in reducing barriers to reentry and improving employment outcomes. CJEI provides criminal records and employment law training to job seekers who have been involved in the criminal legal system, assists employers in rethinking their approach to hiring, engages in research to study reentry practices, and influences policy makers and legislators on criminal justice reform.
Mr. McNutt’s work focuses on the use of background checks as a screening device for employment, the impact of employment on reducing recidivism, employer attitudes toward hiring justice-impacted individuals, and the collateral consequences of incarceration. He is a former prosecutor with over eight years of experience, most recently with the New York State Attorney General’s Office.