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New York Might Clear the Criminal Records of Ex-Convicts
The Clean Slate Act would bring justice to struggling former offenders who already served their time
In recent months, criminal justice activists in New York State have been advocating for a bill that would clear the criminal records of thousands of ex-felons and ex-offenders who committed misdemeanors.
Since there are currently 2.3 million New York residents who have criminal records, this would affect an astronomical number of people. It’s called the Clean Slate Act, and the bill was first introduced in the New York Senate in January of this year.
The bill has been ardently supported by advocacy groups such as Clean Slate NY, whose mission is to “strengthen our communities by ensuring that New Yorkers are not punished beyond their sentences and can be full and fair participants in economic and civic life.”
Bloomberg CityLab delineates precisely what the bill would do:
The bill would establish a two-tier process that automatically seals a criminal record one year after sentencing for a misdemeanor and three years after a felony. The record would be expunged after five years or seven years for a misdemeanor or felony, respectively, as long as there are no new convictions. Those on…
