Second Chance Month 2023

Throughout Second Chance Month, we celebrate the voices, stories, and achievements of people working across the country to ensure everyone has a fair chance to build a better life. As a nation built on the pursuit of second chances, everyone should have a shot at redemption. #CleanSlate legislation helps to remove barriers so that everyone can have a #SecondChance.

Everyone in America should have a fair opportunity to work and provide for their families. An arrest or conviction record reduces a job seeker’s chance of getting a callback or job offer by nearly 50 percent. #CleanSlate legislation offers a common-sense solution to ensure that individuals with records have a fair chance at employment after remaining crime-free for a period of time. Everyone deserves a #SecondChance.

Second Chance Month is a time to reaffirm the impact second chances can have on our communities. Recidivism rates fall, and communities are safer when people with an arrest or conviction record are given a fair opportunity to rebuild their lives. Clean Slate record-sealing automation allows people a fighting chance at building a better future for themselves.

April is Second Chance Month, and advocates across the country are working to remove the barriers people face because of an arrest or conviction record.  Unlocking opportunities allows people to provide for themselves and contribute to their communities. The Clean Slate movement is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a second chance to pursue their dreams.

In February, a bipartisan group of members of Congress created the Bipartisan Second Chance Task Force, which aims to lower our country’s recidivism rate and create more economic opportunities for people with a record.  People living with an arrest or conviction record are counting on them to ensure the opportunity for a #SecondChance. It’s time to help working folks get back on track.

We all have made mistakes at some point in our lives, and everyone deserves a Second Chance. Individuals should be held accountable in a way that ensures the harm caused does not occur again, but simply having an arrest or conviction record should not be a life sentence to poverty. #CleanSlate is an area of bipartisan agreement, earning widespread support across the political spectrum. Second Chances reach across the aisles.

American businesses need a strong workforce now more than ever amid a labor shortage and the great resignation. #CleanSlate policies can benefit employers by expanding the applicant pool, as well as employees. People are 11% more likely to be employed and earn 22% higher wages after receiving record relief. It’s time to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to work and contribute to their communities.

Safe housing and economic stability are top priorities for most families. However, 4 in 5 landlords use background checks to screen applicants’ criminal records. #CleanSlate policies work to remove barriers that prohibit individuals with records from accessing fair, safe housing. It’s time to give our friends and neighbors who have earned their #SecondChance the opportunity to have stable housing for themselves and their families.

Children should have an opportunity to shape their own futures. Yet, nearly half of the children in the United States have a parent with some kind of record, which has long-term effects that range from poor performance in school to hindered cognitive development. #CleanSlate policies support a #SecondChance for families - and the promise of a meaningful first chance to our children.

Everyone deserves a shot at redemption. So, why do only 6.5% of people get their records sealed within five years of becoming eligible? Even since most states have a process to seal records and help people move on with their lives?

It’s because the petition-based process for record sealing is often expensive, confusing, and may require a lawyer. Often, wealthy people are able to afford the time and money to take advantage of record sealing, while working people are often shut out - creating a two-tiered system of justice. #CleanSlate policies automatically seal eligible records so that everyone can have access to a #SecondChance - not just those who can afford it.

Research shows that people with conviction records who have remained crime-free for four to seven years are no more likely than people without a record to commit a new offense. Clean Slate policies help ensure people have a fair opportunity to rebuild their lives in a way that prepares them for a successful future.

When people who have paid their debt to society have access to meaningful opportunities and can contribute to society, we reduce recidivism and build safer communities. It is crucial that we work towards removing barriers to opportunity and give our friends, family, and neighbors the #SecondChance they deserve.

Our communities deserve both safety and second chances – it doesn’t need to be one or the other. Stigmatizing individuals with records decreases public safety by limiting opportunities for working people and their families. It’s time to give our friends, family, and neighbors the #SecondChance they deserve.

Throughout Second Chance Month, we recognize the millions of people in America who continually work towards achieving their dreams, facing barriers along the way because of a past arrest or conviction record. As we reflect on their stories, we’re reminded that how close their stories are to our own – or to those of our family, friends, or neighbors who are among the 1 in 3 adults in the United States who have an arrest or conviction record that limits their ability to work, obtain housing, and engage in civic life.

Clean Slate is rooted in the American Dream - the belief that if you work hard, you should be able to get ahead and provide for your family. However, there are more than 44,000 state and federal restrictions that limit access to meaningful opportunities for people with an arrest or conviction record. #CleanSlate policies ensure that everyone has a #SecondChance to build a better life.