CLEAN SLATE:
CHANGING LIVES WITH INNOVATIVE RECORD CLEARING
Pennsylvania is using an automated process to seal millions of criminal records
News and Issues
Clean Slate in Action: Marilyn’s Story
Yesterday Pennsylvania Rep Jordan Harris shared this moving video starring our friend Marilyn, who has benefited from Clean Slate automated sealing. Harris said, “This is why Clean Slate is so important. Minor mistakes made in the past shouldn’t prohibit people from...
Automated Sealing in Action: Mr Amos’ Story
Like one in three Pennsylvanians, Mr. Amos has a criminal record. Even though the charges against him were dismissed, they still remained on his record and affected his ability to find work. Today, Mr. Amos’ record is sealed. Mr. Amos didn’t hire an attorney, file...
5 Things to Know About Clean Slate
Clean Slate is a new Pennsylvania law that has sealed over 40 million criminal cases and counting, as well as expanded sealing to include more types of misdemeanors. Employers, landlords, and schools won’t be able to see sealed cases on your record, although those...
Clean Slate becomes law: Bipartisan support makes PA a leader in sealing
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...
Clean Slate Record Clearing: A Policy Tailored for the Digital Age
Clearing a criminal record can change the course of a person’s life. Every year, one thousand low-income individuals come to Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS) because they are facing barriers to employment caused by criminal records. Consider CLS client...
Keith’s Story
“I made some stupid mistakes. I was bored, I guess, and running with the wrong crowd… Having my record sealed, that means everything. It will give me all the confidence in the world. It means I don’t have to worry about paying my bills.”
Mary’s Story
“I’m a completely different person now. I would hate to have someone judge me for something so obsolete, that doesn’t even apply to me anymore. I did my time. I paid my debt to society. Why do I have to do life?”