Updates from CSI

This year at CSI’s 2024 Annual Convening, we had the privilege of featuring Philadelphia-based artist Mark Loughney. Mark is a justice-impacted painter, draftsman, and portraitist, whose art acts as a national courier for justice reform efforts. Learn more about Mark’s work in this blog post by Bry Jones, Marketing & Communications Team Coordinator.

People often equate mental health challenges to walking through a dense fog. For someone struggling with their mental health, while also living with the consequences of an arrest or conviction record, that fog can be even thicker. With Clean Slate, we can create better conditions. Read more in this blog post by Morgan Kelly, Marketing & Communications Strategist.

Stigma surrounding people with records can stick a scarlet letter on people long after they’ve paid their debt to society, which can add to the barriers people face when trying to build a better life. That’s why narrative change is a key part of CSI’s three-pronged strategy to fulfill our mission. Read more in this blog post by Stacey Ferguson, V.P. of Marketing & Communications.

H.R. 2930 and S. 5266 make up the Federal Clean Slate Act of 2023. Read this update by Reginald Darby, Federal Legislative Director, to learn why we need a Federal Clean Slate.

In the past year, more than 48 million Americans battled a substance abuse disorder. At the same time, 70 - 100 million people in America are living with an arrest or conviction record. Learn more about the intersection of recovery and Clean Slate in this blog post by Alex Williams, Chief of Staff.

September 13, 2024, marks 30 years since President Bill Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a bill that overwhelmingly increased the number of people living with records. That bill serves as a sobering reminder of the impact a president can have on our legal system. Read more in this blog post by Sheena Meade, CEO.

The support and success behind Clean Slate continue to grow — but it’s not happening by chance. There’s a comprehensive, multi-year strategy behind the work that we do. That strategy is laid out in our Strategic Plan in detail, available on our website, and it involves a few key elements that propel this movement forward every day. Learn more in this blog post by our Chief of Staff, Alex Williams.

Sheena Meade, CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative, addresses campaign strategists, the media, and the general public in an open letter, urging careful consideration of the language used in the final few months of the presidential race.

On June 13 and 14, 2024, over 300 Clean Slate advocates from around the country gathered in Philadelphia for two days of learning and making connections at The Clean Slate Initiative’s 2024 Annual Convening. From the knowledge-sharing sessions to the networking opportunities to the planning for future campaigns, attendees truly embodied the event’s theme: Learning, Leading, and Going for More!

Research conducted in partnership with CSI was recently published as a working paper titled, “Can you Erase the Mark of a Criminal Record? Labor Market Impacts of Criminal Record Remediation” by Amanda Agan (Rutgers University) and several colleagues. Learn more in this blog post from Dr. Laura Chavez and Dr. Amanda Agan.

In May, CSI’s CEO Sheena Meade was invited to Cheyney University — the nation’s first HBCU — to receive an Honorary Doctor of Public Service in recognition of the work that she’s done to reform our justice system and deliver second chances. Read more in this blog post from Sheena.

At CSI, our work extends far beyond passing and implementing laws; it's also about fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment for the communities and individuals who are looking to receive a Clean Slate. Read more in this update from Jibria White, Operations Manager.