The FBI has reportedly loosened some of its automatic disqualifiers for prospective employees, allowing applicants with certain past conduct to be considered on a case-by-case basis, according to The Times Of India.
Under the revised standards, previously hiring a sex worker is no longer necessarily disqualifying. Applicants may still be eligible if it happened fewer than three times and the most recent incident was more than 10 years ago.
The change partly accounts for cases in which prostitution was legal where it occurred. However, soliciting prostitution while holding certain positions of trust, including jobs in law enforcement, education, health care, finance or law, can still result in automatic rejection.
The Times of India article says that past theft from an employer may also be overlooked if it occurred more than three years ago.
The FBI has also reportedly changed how it treats incidents involving bestiality or animal cruelty, allowing consideration when the conduct occurred before the applicant turned 18.
The bureau pushed back on suggestions that it is lowering its overall standards or opening the door to applicants with histories of criminal sexual behavior. An FBI spokesperson said the changes partly address applicants who suffered sexual abuse and whose experiences could complicate polygraph questions involving prostitution, bestiality or similar subjects through no fault of their own.
The FBI maintains that it continues to impose some of the federal government’s strictest suitability requirements.
