Paper Prisons

BY KAYODE CROWN Over a decade ago ago, nine of Kimberly Harris’ acquaintances told the police she burglarized a neighbor’s house in Jackson, Miss. After her arrest, the police released her because “there was no evidence.” Her accusers later went to jail for “false accusation,” Harris, now 38 years old, told… Continue reading Advocates Push For Automated Criminal-Record Expungement in Mississippi

By Rebecca Rivas Missourians would be eligible to have their criminal records automatically cleared of misdemeanor convictions three years after serving their sentence, and five years after serving their sentence for felonies. An estimated 518,000 Missourians would benefit within the first couple of years. Crista Hogan estimates tens of thousands of… Continue reading Missouri Republicans file bills to automatically expunge non-violent offenses from criminal records

With full implementation of Connecticut’s clean slate law delayed until late 2023, advocates and lawmakers are urging Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration for more transparency on the law recently passed to help hundreds of thousands of mostly Black residents who still feel the punishing effects of crimes they committed years ago.  Congregations Organized… Continue reading CT’s ‘clean slate law’ faces delay, and supporters yearn for answers

by Claudia Levens Missouri’s burdensome process for seeking an expungement has rendered record sealing inaccessible for many who are working in low-wage jobs without bargaining power. Under Missouri’s expungement law, people who have committed certain crimes have the opportunity to get those offenses sealed. When the court seals or expunges a criminal… Continue reading Missouri’s expungement gap leaves people with criminal records

Activists and experts say the newly elected first female governor of New York State has plenty of promises to deliver on when it comes to prisoner’s rights and clemency. BY REUVEN BLAU  RBLAU@THECITY.NYC After months of largely staying quiet during the unexpectedly competitive governor’s race, not wanting to give fuel to her… Continue reading Zeldin Threat Passed, Criminal Justice Reformers Ready to Push Hochul

Cook County is home to an estimated 1.3 million people with criminal records — those records can sometimes limit people from certain jobs, housing or even educational opportunities. The Paper Prisons Initiative estimates more than 500,000 of them are eligible to have those records cleared, but advocates say that’s not… Continue reading Permanent Punishment Conversation: Clearing Records

Erica Gunderson Economic sanctions. Collateral consequences. Permanent punishments. There are 44,000 restrictive federal laws, rules, and policies that continue to penalize people long after they have served their sentence in prison. Permanent Punishment, a four-part series, examines this stark reality faced by nearly 3.3 million men and women in Illinois.  Cook… Continue reading Permanent Punishment Conversation: Finding a Path Forward for the Formerly Incarcerated

Law360 (October 29, 2019, 8:00 PM EDT) — The world of legal technology is evolving quickly, with new products coming to market in rapid succession. Recent developments include Latham’s creation of programs in which students can gain virtual experience in M&A and white collar law, the announcement of two new… Continue reading Legal Tech Download: Second Chances Empathy Hackathon

Santa Clara Law hosts an annual hackathon to help nonprofit and public sector organizations find tech solutions to inequities in the criminal justice system. Teams of engineers, lawyers and marketers make up the hacking teams that tackle these problems. Listen to the Podcast

More than one million Coloradans with criminal records could have their records automatically sealed under a bill introduced in the Colorado Senate on Tuesday. Senate Bill 22-099 would implement an automatic sealing process for non-violent criminal records, including civil infractions, by expanding an existing automatic sealing process exclusive to certain drug… Continue reading Colorado Senate bill aims to automatically seal non-violent criminal records

Delaware lawmakers passed two bills this year that overhaul access to second chances, making it easier for more than 290,000 people to move beyond the collateral consequences of a criminal record. The two pieces of legislation – Senate Bill 111 and Senate Bill 112 – expand access to Delaware’s mandatory… Continue reading Delaware governor signs automatic record-clearing law

State lawmakers and legislators vehemently urged the state Legislature on Tuesday to reconvene in a special session to seal the criminal records of millions of New Yorkers and give them a clean slate. The Clean Slate bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, D-Queens, failed to pass the Legislature before session… Continue reading Lawmakers request special session to pass Clean Slate

Checkr, Inc., the leading technology company in the background check industry, announced today it has launched an end-to-end solution for job candidates to complete expungements and clear their criminal records. This solution, the first of its kind in the industry, removes the complexities and high legal fees typically associated with expungements and… Continue reading Checkr Launches Expungement Solution and Sets Goal to Clear 1,000 Job Seekers’ Records for Free

Years ago, when Tony Bibbs was looking for landscaping work in Rochester, New York, he put in applications at dozens of small operations, always writing “will discuss in an interview” in response to the question about having a criminal record. Between the ages of 17 and 32, he was, he… Continue reading To Boost Hiring, New York Makes Case for a ‘Clean Slate’

The Clean Slate bill is set to pass the state Legislature before session ends this week after lawmakers negotiated a deal overnight to change the measure to seal, and no longer expunge, New Yorkers’ criminal records after completing a prison sentence. Initially, Clean Slate was set to automatically seal and… Continue reading Lawmakers reach compromise to pass Clean Slate bill this week

A new poll being released as lawmakers prepare for the final push of the legislative session shows wide support for a measure that would give New Yorkers who paid their debt to society a fresh start. The Clean Slate coalition is touting polling data showing overwhelming support for a bill… Continue reading Advocates tout poll showing broad support for Clean Slate bill

Washington, D.C. — Earlier this week, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the Michigan Senate passed legislation that positions Michigan to become the third state with a clean slate automated record-clearing law on the books. Michigan’s clean slate package is historic in that it makes Michigan the first state to automatically clear… Continue reading Michigan Becomes Latest State To Pass Clean Slate Legislation, First To Include Felonies

The House of Representatives voted 91-56 for final passage Thursday night of a “clean slate” bill, sending to a publicly noncommittal governor a measure that would automatically erase certain criminal convictions from a person’s record if they go seven or 10 years without committing another crime. “This bill today is… Continue reading Bill that would erase certain criminal convictions from records passes in CT House

The State Senate Codes Committee voted in favor of the Clean Slate Act Wednesday, moving the bill forward for a vote in the full body. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assmeblymember Catalina Cruz, would establish a two-step process to automatically sealing and later automatically expunge old conviction… Continue reading Clean Slate Act inches closer to approval with vote in Senate committee

For decades, America’s policy has been to maximize harsh prison sentences in order to deter crime. These policies, rather than producing a freer and more prosperous society, instead resulted in the incarceration of a staggering amount of people and burdened even more with lifelong records.  Today, nearly 1 in 3… Continue reading Serving Life Sentences in Paper Prisons