New Working Paper on the Impact of Debt-Based License Suspension Reform (April 7, 2025)

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 […]

Technological Developments & Tools in the Criminal Legal System Webinar (April 4, 2025)

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

Illinois leaders rally for Clean Slate Bill to modernize record-sealing system (Feb. 5th, 2025)

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 This legislation aims to modernize the state’s record-sealing system by replacing the outdated petition-based model with an automated system.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

2024 Summary of North Carolina Expunctions (Oct. 7, 2024)

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

Exploring the Promise of the Racial Justice Act Tool (Aug. 12, 2024)

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 

Paper Prisons’ Testimony at California Penal Committee Hearing on CA Racial Justice Act (July 30, 2024)

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

In New York, a Conviction Record Can Mean a Lifetime of Blocked Opportunity (July 29, 2024)

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

Podcast: Professor Colleen Chien on Innovation, Equity, and Racial Justice (July 27, 2024)

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

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