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… Read more: Exploring the Promise of the Racial Justice Act Tool (Aug. 12, 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… Read more: Paper Prisons’ Testimony at California Penal Committee Hearing on CA Racial Justice Act (July 30, 2024)

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… Read more: In New York, a Conviction Record Can Mean a Lifetime of Blocked Opportunity (July 29, 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… Read more: Podcast: Professor Colleen Chien on Innovation, Equity, and Racial Justice (July 27, 2024)

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… Read more: CT promised to erase the criminal records of 130,000 people. 18 months later, only 10% have been (July 26, 2024)

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… Read more: Some say Maryland’s mass marijuana pardons don’t go far enough (June 19, 2024)

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… Read more: NC Senate panel okays bill to roll back automatic expungements of ‘not guilty,’ ‘dismissed’ charges (May 22, 2024)

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… Read more: Missouri lawmakers discuss “Clean Slate” bill, making it easier for wiping clean criminal records (Mar. 28, 2024)

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… Read more: Senators hope to change state law allowing for automatic expungement (Mar. 25, 2024)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (SHRM)- Individuals with old criminal records have a greater chance of employment in the growing number of states—now 12—with clean slate laws. As these laws spread, more employers may benefit from a talent pool they haven’t tapped much before. “Employers need to understand that there is a growing… Read more: Clean Slate Laws are Spreading (March 25, 2024)

The Clean Slate campaign is backing four Missouri bills, which all provide for a more automated expungement process for low-level offenses. MISSOURI (KCUR) – More than a half-million Missourians could have their arrest and conviction records expunged of minor offenses if either of two Senate and two House bills, supported… Read more: Thousands of Missourians could have criminal records sealed under Clean Slate Initiative (Mar. 14, 2024)

HARTFORD, Co. (CT Mirror) – As a concerned resident of Connecticut and a victim of the state’s criminal justice system, I am deeply troubled by the results of a data analysis I did for all criminal convictions from 1980 to 2022. In 2021, I co-published a report with Paper Prisons about people… Read more: Opinion: The Clean Slate bill must be enforced to end injustice in CT (March 13, 2023)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBOC) — A proposed Maryland Senate Bill, the Maryland Clean Slate Act of 2024, aims to simplify the process of record expungement for individuals with criminal records. The bill was brought before the State Judicial Proceedings Committee today for a hearing. According to the Maryland Paper Prisons Initiative,… Read more: Maryland Clean Slate Act Proposed to Streamline Record Expungement Process (Feb. 21, 2024)

NEW YORK (Reason Foundation) – Encouraging people to lead law-abiding lives following punishment for a crime becomes challenging when a criminal record interferes with their ability to get a job or rent an apartment years after they’ve paid their debt to society. To promote effective reintegration, New York recently joined… Read more: New York’s clean slate reforms offer former offenders a second chance (Feb. 15, 2024)

BEKELEY, Ca. (Berkeley Law) – More than 500 people registered for Berkeley Law’s recent California Racial Justice Act Symposium, which examined the 2020 Act’s early implementation and implications.  Presented by the school’s Criminal Law & Justice Center and Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law, the event welcomed expert lawyers, computer scientists, scholars, government officials, criminal justice… Read more: Implementing Equality: Packed Symposium Addresses California Racial Justice Act (Feb. 13, 2024)

BERKELEY, Ca. (By: Andrew Cohen) – Berkeley Law highlights the inaugural California Racial Justice Act Symposium, in which Berkeley Law Professor, Colleen Chien, talks about the Paper Prisons Initiative to address the gap between eligibility for relief from the criminal justice system and actually gaining that relief. Link to Berkeley Law article… Read more: Berkeley Law: Packed Symposium Addresses California Racial Justice Act (Feb. 13, 2024)

BERKELEY, Ca. (CNS) – In the two years since California passed the Racial Justice Act, attorneys and public defenders say there has been slow progress toward criminal justice reform and pursuit of a less biased system.  University of California, Berkeley’s Criminal Law and Justice Center and the Berkeley Journal of… Read more: California criminal justice system moving slowly to confront biases, discrimination (Feb. 2, 2024)

Though Minnesota already had an expungement act, the process proved too costly for many. On top of fees that could rise above $300, the procedure also took too long. These issues meant that few eligible individuals attempted expungement. A study by Santa Clara University found that only 5% of eligible Minnesota… Read more: Minnesota Legislators Address Benefits of New Expungement Law (Nov. 7, 2023)

MINNESOTA (StarTribune) – Minnesota earlier this year became the 11th state to enact legislation making it easier to expunge certain nonviolent criminal records. The expungement process is typically burdensome, costing money and a lot of time. But with the Clean Slate Act, that process has been streamlined and automated for… Read more: Minnesota leaders tout benefits of ‘redemption’ under new expungement law (Oct. 30, 2023)