At least 10M Americans have lost their licenses for reasons unrelated to driving. What is the impact of reforming license suspension practices and restoring licenses to drivers? Using CPS data and a staggered diff-in-diff design, our new working paper suggests an unexpected payoff – measurable increases in state-wide employment when reforms are of high-quality and […]
By Alivia Dawson, 2nd year undergrad student, Berkeley The Paper Prisons Initiative recently presented our Racial Justice Act (RJA) tool, forthcoming “Digital Juneteenth” expungement notification campaign with the Santa Clara Public Defender, and how AI tools can be leveraged to increase access to justice, before hundreds of public defenders during a webinar on Technological Developments
Nearly all white defendants were given the chance at parole. Nearly all Black defendants were not SAN DIEGO, Ca. (KPBS) – When Laila Aziz moved back to San Diego, the names on everyone’s lips were Brian Mason and Thabiti Wilson, the younger brothers of people she grew up with. They were both convicted of robbery
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — On February 5, a coalition of Illinois leaders, advocates, and community members gathered at the Illinois State Capitol Building Rotunda to rally support for the Clean Slate Bill. This legislation aims to modernize the state’s record-sealing system by replacing the outdated petition-based model with an automated system. The bill seeks to remove
NORTH CAROLINA (NC Justice Center) -A criminal record often gives rise to significant barriers to gainful employment, affordable housing, family unification and a variety of other essential benefits and opportunities. For assistance in understanding the statutory barriers to opportunities that may arise because of a criminal record, please use the UNC School of Government’s Collateral Consequences
BERKELEY, Ca. (Berkeley Law) – Berkeley Law’s Paper Prisons Initiative, led by Professor Colleen V. Chien, recently unveiled an innovative database aimed at helping defendants and people convicted of crimes challenge a charge, conviction, or sentence under the California Racial Justice Act (RJA). The initiative’s Racial Justice Act Tool, which is currently in beta mode, reports on data provided
On March 27, 2023, the California Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code held a hearing on the California Racial Justice Act (CRJA) (recording here*, RJA portion starts at 52:02). Paper Prisons founder, Professor Colleen Chien testified before the committee about the data infrastructure supporting implementation of the CRJA , alongside Chief Assistant District
SAN DIEGO, Ca. (CrimProf BlogEditor) – The CrimProf Blog, edited by Professor Kevin Cole of the University of San Diego School of Law, highlights “The Paper Prisons Racial Justice Act Data Tool“. Link to Article here.
NEW YORK (Legal Action Center)- After years of stalwart advocacy with a diverse coalition of partners from across New York State, the Clean Slate Act has been signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. Clean Slate NY will help New Yorkers move on with their lives by automatically sealing misdemeanor convictions after three years and felony convictions after eight
BERKELEY, Ca. (Berkeley Law) – In this episode, host Gwyneth Shaw talks with Professor Colleen Chien ’02, a cross-disciplinary scholar whose research spans innovation, intellectual property, and the criminal justice system. She’s just joined the Berkeley Law faculty — the ninth hire for the school this year. Chien is a Berkeley Law alumna and studies a wide