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A person s criminal record can make it hard to get a job and secure housing. The Clean Slate bill might give them a second chance, but some say it goes too far.
Many of the persistent problems within the criminal justice system fall much more heavily on racial minorities in our nation.
Black and Hispanic/Latino people are incarcerated for violating drugs laws at much higher rates than are whites despite the fact that all these racial/ethnic groups use drugs at roughly the same percentage. Since whites make up a much larger portion of the U.S. population, they would dominate the prison system for such crimes if prosecutions were conducted equitably.
But they are not; more emphasis is made on locking up racial minorities than on whites. They bear this burden, and it has adversely affected generations of people.
ALBANY â State lawmakers are considering legislation that would automatically seal and expunge most criminal convictions under the proposed Clean Slate Act.
The bill would include a two-step process that would first automatically seal certain traffic infractions and misdemeanors after one year and three years after a felony conviction, as long as the individual is not on probation or parole or is required to register as a sex offender. The conviction record would later be automatically expunged.
A virtual press conference was held Thursday prior to a public hearing of the state Senateâs Standing Committee on Codes to push for passage of the bill.