Some Princeton students are demanding that the university to stop asking whether applicants have been convicted of anything.

In their newest “diversity” drive, they say academe needs more people with experience in the justice system. Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik files this report:

From time to time, colleges face scrutiny over whether they are aware of the criminal backgrounds of prospective students. The 2004 murder of a University of North Carolina at Wilmington student by a classmate who had attacked women before, for example, led to a lawsuit that led the UNC system to require its campuses to conduct criminal background checks on students whose records suggested possible risks.

Princeton University is having a different sort of debate. The university, through the Common Application, asks applicants whether they have a criminal background. A campus group — Students for Prison Education and Reform — is organizing a petition drive urging Princeton to stop using that question.

“The United States criminal justice system is inequitable and ineffective. In light of the racial and economic discrimination perpetuated by U.S. justice institutions, we believe that past involvement with the justice system should not be used to evaluate personal character or academic potential. We call upon Princeton University to remove the question about past involvement with the justice system from applications for undergraduate admission,” says the petition.

Not only is asking the question unfair, the group argues, but it may limit an important kind of diversity on Princeton’s campus.

“Individuals with past involvement with the justice system would bring distinct perspectives to Princeton,” the group says.

…Janet Lavin Rapelye, dean of admission at Princeton, defended the practice of asking the question, but via email stressed that admission isn’t ruled out for those who answer yes.

“We try to learn as much as we can about each applicant,” she said. “If an applicant has been cited for misconduct or convicted of a crime we believe we should know this, but just as important we want to know the circumstances and reasons which we ask about in the additional essay. We take all of this information into account in our holistic review of the applicant.”

Alison Kiss, executive director of the Clery Center for Security On Campus, also supports the question’s use. “If we are going to hold campuses to a standard to contribute to a safer environment for students then they should be permitted to ask that question,” she said./blockquote>