Before 2016, Pennsylvania had one of the narrowest laws in the country for the record clearing of criminal convictions. A 2016 law brought sealing of some misdemeanor convictions to the state—a modest step forward. But then, in 2018, Pennsylvania catapulted to the forefront of record clearing, becoming the first state in the nation to adopt Clean Slate automated sealing of minor records by use of technology. This groundbreaking law garnered support from almost everyone: Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, the Left, the Right, business interests, district attorneys, the faith community, and even National Football League (NFL) players. CLS played a central role in drafting and advocating for Clean Slate.
Read more about how Clean Slate became law →
Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law, Act 56 of 2018, was passed to bring criminal record sealing to scale by the use of automation. Nine months into the automated sealing of cases, other states interested in replicating the model have inquired how its implementation has been going. The answer: Extremely well. Clean Slate has been effectively implemented and extraordinarily impactful both in sheer numbers and in its impact on people’s lives.