This column looks at the need for clean slate legislation, highlighting advances made since the first automatic record-clearing state law was passed in 2018 and examining how states and the federal government have taken steps to provide a pathway to success for those who have been negatively affected by the criminal justice system. Amid the current crisis, the passage of clean slate measures must become a priority to ensure that the tens of millions of people affected by the justice system are able to successfully reenter society and participate in the nation’s recovery. Several states have taken the lead on enacting clean slate legislation to provide better opportunities for their constituents, and now, even federal legislators are pushing for federal clean slate laws. In particular, lawmakers must push for “clean slate” policies, which center around reducing the negative effects of a criminal record through automatic record-clearing for minor nonviolent cases. Now, in the midst of a global economic crisis, these policies are needed more than ever before. Many policy advocates and lawmakers recognize the need to advance policies aimed at providing these individuals a second chance to fully contribute to their communities. Having a record often means that one moment of indiscretion leads to a lifetime of poverty and suffering. Due to the stigma of their records, these individuals face significant challenges finding a job, securing housing, or attending college-challenges that will only be compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, between 70 million and 100 million people in America are living with a criminal record, which hinders their chances of success, even long after they have been exonerated or have completed their sentence. Of the 13.3 percent of Americans currently looking for work, individuals with a criminal record will almost certainly be among those last hired once jobs do reappear. The process of finding a job will be challenging for many, but for justice-involved individuals who were already struggling to find employment and build a successful life before the pandemic, it will be nearly impossible.
![clean slate credit solutions clean slate credit solutions](https://www.cleanslate.co.uk/media/mhvdlm2o/cleanslate-illustration-rgb_getstarted.png)
The nation is seeing some of the highest unemployment rates documented since the Great Depression, with little indication of how long the crisis will last. The COVID-19 pandemic has led the United States into another recession and left millions of Americans without a job or means to support themselves or their families.