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 […]
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.
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
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
HARTFORD, Co. (WSHU) – In 2021, Connecticut passed the “Clean Slate” law to erase conviction records for minor offenses. At the time, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) said it would change the lives of people who had been denied jobs, housing and education because of their criminal record. Three years later, the state is struggling to keep
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (NPR) – Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pardoning 175,000 people who have low-level convictions related to marijuana, the governor announced Monday. To date, it is one of the most expansive absolutions by a state for this type of crime. “The barriers to everything from employment to education to the ability to buy a home and
NORTH CAROLINA (NC Newsline) The North Carolina House Judiciary 2 Committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would repeal automatic expungements of “not guilty” or “dismissed” charges from criminal records. The committee approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 565 on a voice vote. As NC Newsline previously reported, the original bill proposed to restart automatic expungements
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3 Staff) – Missouri lawmakers are discussing a way to make it easier for those eligible to have their criminal records wiped clean. The policy is called “Clean Slate.” The organization behind the push says only about 1% of eligible convicts are able to successfully get their records expunged because the process
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Fox2Now) – Two bipartisan lawmakers are pushing to help more than half a million Missourians have their arrest and conviction records expunged. Supporters say the purpose of this bill is to provide a second chance. Right now, the state allows for certain minor offenses to be expunged but requires the offender to