.avif)
Emma Stammen is a State Communications Strategist at The Clean Slate Initiative. In her role, she works with state partners on messaging, earned media, digital engagement, and public awareness to advance Clean Slate legislation.
Before joining The Clean Slate Initiative, Emma worked as a Policy Strategist at The Bail Project, where she led local and state legislative campaigns to reduce the use of cash bail and improve due process protections in the pretrial system. Prior to The Bail Project, she spent a year as a Research Fellow with The Sentencing Project, writing reports on felony murder laws, felony disenfranchisement, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in prisons and jails. At the same time, Emma also worked with PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing program to distribute over 30,000 writing handbooks to incarcerated people across the country and develop a podcast interviewing formerly incarcerated authors.
Emma lives in California with her partner and their cat, Cashew. Outside of work she enjoys reading, going to the movies, and hosting game nights.
Virginia’s Clean Slate Implementation Started This July: Here’s What You Need to Know
Virginia's Clean Slate Act entered implementation on July 1, 2026. Learn what changed, who may be eligible for record sealing, and what comes next as the law rolls out across the Commonwealth.
New Research: The Economic Losses from Arrest & Conviction Records
A new research report by The Clean Slate Initiative finds that arrest and conviction records are associated with substantial and persistent losses in employment and earnings — even when a person was never convicted and even after more than a decade without further legal system contact.
.png)
New Resource Helps Pennsylvanians Understand Clean Slate and Check Their Records
A new Clean Slate Initiative resource helps Pennsylvanians understand which records may qualify for automated sealing, how waiting periods work, and how to check what appears on their public record.
