Clean slate promotes public safety, racial justice and economic growth
On Monday, April 5, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 1019, also known as “Clean Slate,” which automates the erasure of criminal records for eligible individuals who remain crime-free for lengthy periods of time. The bill is now on its way to Senate for debate. We urge lawmakers to pass Clean Slate for the following three reasons.
First, Clean Slate will reduce the likelihood of recidivism and thus promote public safety in Connecticut. Recent groundbreaking research by law professors J.J. Prescott of the University of Michigan Law School and Sonja Starr of the University of Chicago Law School reveals that Clean Slate reduces the likelihood of recidivism for individuals with records. Without Clean Slate, these individuals find it difficult to plan for and build a responsible future, given the uncertainty of when or whether they will be freed from the stigma of their c