With just weeks to go until the end of the legislative session, state lawmakers are considering a major criminal justice reform. The bill, known as the “Clean Slate Act,” would seal criminal records after a certain amount of time, enabling those individuals to get jobs more easily.
Although the pace in Albany these days is rather slow, following a bruising battle over the state budget, advocates are hopeful that the Clean Slate Act can finally pass both houses after years of delay.
What You Need To Know
- City Comptroller Brad Lander says the Clean Slate Act, which would seal criminal records for employment, makes economic sense for the city and state
- According to a report from the comptroller, if records are sealed, it could result in $2.5 billion in wages for new city workers, with more than 500,000 people eligible
- Lawmakers are currently debating how long it should be before those records are sealed
The bill now has strong allies in the business community, including those arguing it makes economic sense for the city and state.
“After folks have served their time, what we want is for them to gain employment,” said City Comptroller Brad Lander, whose office just issued a report on Clean Slate.
“Both from an economic point of view, so they earn wages and are supporting the economy, and of course so they don’t wind up in a desperate position again,” Lander said. “Having your record sealed, when you are eligible for it, has an enormous impact on your ability to get a job.”
As it is currently written, the bill would seal criminal records for three years after an individual has finished their prison sentence, and is no longer on parole.
For violent offenders, that waiting period would be seven years.
In 2017, the legislature voted to seal some records, but individuals had to apply for it, and most people didn’t seem to know the program existed.
“Only 0.2% of people who are eligible actually got their records sealed,” Lander said. “That means that 99.8% of people who the Legislature voted should have their records sealed in 2017 still haven’t got it. And that automatic enrollment, that automatic record sealing, that’s something every legislator who voted in 2017 could support.”
State leaders didn’t say Clean Slate has unstoppable momentum this year, but it’s at least being discussed.
“I think probably the biggest disagreement is the length of time between when someone is no longer quote-unquote justice-involved,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters in Albany last week. “How long is that going to be, and I think that varies. I believe there is a commitment in every way to try and get that done so that it can be signed and enacted into law.”
Critics warn that the bill could be deceptive to employers who may otherwise be willing to hire someone who once served time in prison.