” 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 right-wing opponent, criminal justice… Continue reading Zeldin Threat Passed, Criminal Justice Reformers Ready to Push Hochul (Nov. 11, 2022)
Author: Colleen Chien
Permanent Punishment Conversation: Clearing Records (Oct. 8, 2022)
“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 happening for many of them.”… Continue reading Permanent Punishment Conversation: Clearing Records (Oct. 8, 2022)
Permanent Punishment Conversation: Finding a Path Forward for the Formerly Incarcerated (Oct. 8, 2022)
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 County is home to… Continue reading Permanent Punishment Conversation: Finding a Path Forward for the Formerly Incarcerated (Oct. 8, 2022)
‘Clean Slate’ Justice Laws Offer a Second Chance—Only to Some (Jul. 10, 2022)
“CLEAN SLATE LAWS are sweeping the country, offering many of the estimated 70 to 100 million people with a criminal record the chance to have their record expunged. The benefits seem straightforward: Making a criminal record no longer publicly available should reduce housing and employment discrimination. The policy aims to give people a second chance, especially those who were… Continue reading ‘Clean Slate’ Justice Laws Offer a Second Chance—Only to Some (Jul. 10, 2022)
Legal Tech Download: Second Chances Empathy Hackathon (Oct. 29, 2022)
“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 classes that count toward a… Continue reading Legal Tech Download: Second Chances Empathy Hackathon (Oct. 29, 2022)
Second Chances Empathy Hackathon (Sep. 13, 2020)
“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
Colorado Senate bill aims to automatically seal non-violent criminal records (Feb. 3, 2022)
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 offenses. The legislation would apply… Continue reading Colorado Senate bill aims to automatically seal non-violent criminal records (Feb. 3, 2022)
Delaware governor signs automatic record-clearing law (Nov. 10, 2021)
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 expungement process effective January 1,… Continue reading Delaware governor signs automatic record-clearing law (Nov. 10, 2021)
Lawmakers request special session to pass Clean Slate
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 ended June 10. The bill… Continue reading Lawmakers request special session to pass Clean Slate
Checkr Launches Expungement Solution and Sets Goal to Clear 1,000 Job Seekers’ Records for Free
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 unlocks barriers to meaningful employment.… Continue reading Checkr Launches Expungement Solution and Sets Goal to Clear 1,000 Job Seekers’ Records for Free