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CLEAN SLATE IS ABOUT
MORE THAN SECOND CHANCES

The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI) invites you to join in celebrating Second Chance Month!

CSI passes and implements laws that automatically clear eligible records for people who have completed their sentence and remained crime-free, and expands who is eligible for clearance.

Our vision is that people will no longer be defined by their records and will have the opportunity to contribute to their community, have a fair opportunity to work, get an education, and achieve their full potential.

SECOND CHANCE MONTH 2024

#MoreThanSecondChances

April marks Second Chance Month across the nation. This year we use this time to recognize that the effort to advance Clean Slate automatic record clearance is about  “More Than Second Chances.”

Throughout the month we encourage advocates, partners, and others to amplify Clean Slate as a multifaceted issue that can impact the workforce, communities, families, employers, children, education, and more.

Our content and messaging will illustrate the intersectionality of Clean Slate policies and Second Chances while defining what Second Chances mean for people with records and our communities.

Sample Posts

Make a Post with This Sample Copy

Feel free to add a personal touch to sample posts. We got it started, and now it’s your turn.

Sample 1

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%. #CleanSlate policies offer 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. #MoreThanSecondChances

Sample Two

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 is #MoreThanSecondChances – they’re policies that allow people a fighting chance at building a better future for themselves.

Sample Three

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. #MoreThanSecondChances

Sample Four

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. #CleanSlate is #MoreThanSecondChances with an impact that reaches across the aisles.

Sample Five

American businesses need a strong workforce now more than ever. #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. #MoreThanSecondChances

Sample Six

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 are #MoreThanSecondChances, they work to remove barriers that prohibit individuals with records from accessing fair, safe housing. It’s time to give our friends and neighbors the opportunity to have stable housing for themselves and their families.

Sample Seven

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 #MoreThanSecondChances  for families - they support the promise of a meaningful first chance to our children.

Sample Eight

Everyone deserves a shot at redemption. So, why do only 6.5% of people get their records sealed within five years of becoming eligible? It’s because the petition-based process for record sealing is often complex and confusing. #CleanSlate policies automatically seal eligible records so that everyone can have access to a #SecondChance - not just those who can afford it. #CleanSlate policies provide #MoreThanSecondChances, they provide a pathway to equity.

Sample Nine

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. #CleanSlate automatic record clearance policies offer #MoreThanSecondChances, they help ensure people have a fair opportunity to rebuild their lives in a way that prepares them for a successful future.

Sample Ten

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. #MorethanSecondChances

Sample Eleven

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. #MoreThanSecondChances

Sample Twelve

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 #MoreThanSecondChances, they provide a pathway for people to build a better life.

Sample Thirteen

It is estimated that 18 million women have a record in the U.S. If all 50 states enacted The Clean Slate Initiative's policy minimums, nearly 12 million of those women would be eligible for full or partial record clearance. That means 12 million women would be on a pathway towards #MoreThanSecondChances, with fair access to safe housing, employment, and new opportunities.

Sample Fourteen

Women’s incarceration rates have been growing at twice the rate of men’s over the past few decades. This has led to significantly more women facing the barriers caused by living with records in America. #CleanSlate automatic record clearance policies work towards #MoreThanSecondChances by ensuring records are no longer a barrier to employment, safe housing, and new opportunities.

Amplify Directly Impacted Voices with These Storyteller Videos

Why Clean Slates Matter

Having a record should not be a life sentence to poverty

Criminal records can contribute to cycles of multigenerational poverty.  The financial strain associated with records can push families deeper into poverty, with multigenerational households and those led by women or people of color being especially vulnerable. Clean Slate is a remedy that can lead to increased wages and employment and reduced recidivism, alleviating some of these burdens.
SOURCE: Center for American Progress

Clean Slate Provides a Pathway to Access Employment Opportunities

Employment prospects are significantly reduced for people with records as many employers are reluctant to hire people with past convictions. However, research shows that after a period of time without reoffending, individuals’ chances of reoffending drop significantly. Source: Blumstein, Alfred and Kiminori Nakamura. (2009). Redemption in the presence of widespread criminal background checks. Criminology, 47(2), 327-359.

Clean Slate Provides a Pathway to Equity

Black individuals are more likely to be arrested, charged, and receive harsher punishments than their white counterparts. Employers are less likely to call back job applicants who have a record across the board, but the likelihood of a call back is reduced by around 60 percent for Black applicants compared to 30 percent for white applicants with records.

Since Black applicants with records are less frequently invited to interview, they have fewer opportunities to establish rapport with employers and gain employment.

Moreover, this disparity extends to the housing sector, where Black individuals with records face even greater challenges. Housing barriers not only limit access to safe and affordable housing but also segregates communities and perpetuates cycles of poverty and recidivism.

Sources:
Pager, Devah, Bruce Western, and Naomi Sugie. "Sequencing disadvantage: Barriers to employment facing young black and white men with criminal records." The annals of the American academy of political and social science 623, no. 1 (2009): 195-213.

Hinton, Elizabeth, LeShae Henderson, and Cindy Reed. (May, 2018). “An unjust burden: The disparate treatment of Black Americans in the criminal justice system.” Vera Evidence Brief, Vera Institute of Justice.

Archer, Deborah N. "The housing segregation: the Jim Crow effects of crime-free housing ordinances." Mich. L. Rev. 118 (2019): 173.

It’s Bigger Than Second Chances

Clean Slate automatic record clearance works to advance Second Chances across the nation. However, the impact of a second chance extends far beyond the individual. Clean Slate automatic record clearance positively impacts our families, communities, workforce, economy, and more.

Our team has compiled research that reflects the many areas of impact of Clean Slate automatic record clearance.

Economic Impact
  • $78-87 billion is the estimated loss in gross domestic product every year resulting from shutting people with records out of the workforce.
    SOURCE: Center for Economic and Policy Research
  • 27% is the unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people which is higher than it has ever been for the general population.
    SOURCE: Prison Policy Initiative
  • 84% of small business owners agree that Clean Slate policies will provide individuals with a second chance and open up the job pool.
    SOURCE: Small Business Majority
  • 52% is the reduction in earnings that people who have been incarcerated face in the workforce. The Brennan Center found that people who have been incarcerated lose nearly half a million dollars in average lifetime earnings.
    SOURCE: Brennan Center

The Impact on Education
The Impact on Employment
The Impact on Equity
  • Black Americans are more likely to be stopped, arrested, charged, and incarcerated than whites. Resulting in significantly more Black Americans living with the barriers of having a record in the United States.
    SOURCE: Vera Institute of Justice
  • About 11% of Black children have a parent with a record compared to 1.7% of white children.
    SOURCE: Center for American Progress
  • Nearly half of U.S. children now have at least one parent with a criminal record, with negative consequences for children’s cognitive development, school performance, and even employment outcomes in adulthood.
    SOURCE: Center for American Progress
Clean Slate National Impact Stats
  • Over 15 million people are eligible to receive full or partial record clearance in the 12 states that have enacted legislation meeting The Clean Slate Initiative’s policy minimums. SOURCE: The Clean Slate Initiative
  • Over 14 million people are eligible to receive full record clearance in the 12 states that have enacted legislation meeting The Clean Slate Initiative’s policy minimums. SOURCE: The Clean Slate Initiative
  • Nearly 12 million adult women with a record would be eligible to receive full or partial record clearance if all 50 states passed laws meeting The Clean Slate Initiative’s policy minimums. SOURCE: The Clean Slate Initiative
  • Nearly 1 in 3 Black adults with a record would be eligible to receive full record clearance if all 50 states passed laws meeting The Clean Slate Initiative’s policy minimums. SOURCE: The Clean Slate Initiative
  • Over 4 million Black adults would be eligible to receive full record clearance if all 50 states passed Clean Slate’s policy minimums.
    SOURCE: The Clean Slate Initiative
  • 8 million Black adults with records would be eligible for full or partial record clearance if all 50 states passed laws meeting The Clean Slate Initiative’s policy minimums. SOURCE: The Clean Slate Initiative

Clean Slate in the States

To date, 12 states have passed laws that meet CSI's criteria for Clean Slate legislation. Additionally, there are active Clean Slate campaigns in many states, and grassroots work building support for future efforts are underway in states across the country.

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A group of people are sitting around a table with a man signing a document.

2018: PA

Pennsylvania passes the country's first Clean Slate policy, sparking a movement.

A large building with a statue of a man and a flag on top.

2019: UT & NJ

Two more states pass Clean Slate policies: Utah & New Jersey.

A group of people holding signs and a sign that says 85% of voters want smart justice.

2020: CT & MI

Two more states pass Clean Slate policies: Michigan & Connecticut.

A man signing a document with a group of people standing behind him.

2021: DE + VA

Two more states pass Clean Slate policies: Delaware & Virginia.

A group of people posing for a picture.

2022: 
CA + OK + CO + DC

Three more states, and Washington D.C., pass Clean Slate policies: Oklahoma, Colorado, & California.

A group of people are standing in front of a document.

2023: MN + NY

Two more states pass Clean Slate policies: Minnesota & New York.

State Campaigns

To date, 12 states, and Washington D.C., have passed laws that meet CSI's criteria for Clean Slate legislation.

Additionally, there are active Clean Slate campaigns in many states, and grassroots work building support for future efforts are underway in states across the country.

Connecticut
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Massachusetts
Washington, D.C.

State Data Factsheets

Our methodology allows us to create projections related to Clean Slate policies, including estimating the impact that a proposed Clean Slate policy might have in a particular state. To begin highlighting those impact statements, we’re releasing a series of data factsheets specific to states that can help aid advocacy, insight, messaging, and more.

As our research develops, we will release additional factsheets. Here are the impact statements for the following states:

CSI’S DATA DASHBOARD

A laptop with a map of the United States on the screen.

When it comes to data about arrest and conviction records, there has always been one big, ironic gap: a lack of records. Since the beginning of record clearance efforts across the country, advocates, lawmakers, and stakeholders have struggled to pull together data that can illustrate policy impacts due to a lack of consistent record-keeping across states — especially data that can be broken down by different demographics.

That’s why we’re thrilled to launch our one-of-a-kind data dashboard that provides state-specific data about records and the impacts of record clearance policies.

Visit The Clean Slate Initiative Data Dashboard now at cleanslateinitiative.org/data

JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO ADVANCE SECOND CHANCES

Shift Your Mindset

There is no archetype of a person with a record — people from all walks of life, with all different backgrounds can (and do) have records. One of the most impactful ways we can all support the Clean Slate movement is by recognizing that people with records are our neighbors, friends, and family, and they are all people who have paid for their mistakes and deserve a second chance.

Share Your Story, or Listen to Someone Else's

Do you have a record? Share your story to help end the stigma around people with records. Whether you share with one person or many, the simple act of sharing your story could create a ripple effect and help expand understanding around the impacts of records on people and families.If you don’t have a record, then listen to the stories of people who do. Our story-teller series is a great place to start.

Support Directly Impacted People

Support or join community organizations led by people who have records and support businesses that hire people with records.

Contact Congress in Support of The Clean Slate Act

We need your support to ensure people with federal records have a real opportunity for a second chance.Join us in advocating for the significant legislative milestone, H.R. 2930, the Clean Slate Act of 2023, by sending a message to your representatives in Congress to cosponsor this important bill.Visit our CSI Action Alert page to join effort.

Wear Purple for Clean Slate Day: Friday 4/12/24

Show your support for Clean Slate policies and #SecondChances by wearing purple on Friday, April 12th! Post a photo in your purple and tag us!

Don’t forget to tag us!

Twitter: @cleanslate_init
Instagram: @cleanslateinitiative
Facebook: @CSICleanSlateInitiative
LinkedIn: Clean Slate Initiative

State Partner Events

Support Clean Slate

Your voice and action matter. Share your story to amplify the importance of second chances, or make a donation to help expand access to automated record sealing and opportunity for millions.

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