Should certain criminal arrest records be sealed from the public?
Bill Summary
This bill would automatically seal criminal records for certain arrests and nonviolent offenses. Criminal records would be sealed one year after the person completes every requirement of their sentence.
Sponsor: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Democrat, Delaware, At-Large)
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Opponents say
• Only sealing a record, instead of totally expunging them, does not completely get rid of the issue. By only sealing the records, the information still exists and there could still be loopholes to make that information accessible again.
Proponents say
• “If our goal is to reduce recidivism and improve the lives of millions of Americans, we cannot allow hardworking citizens who served their time to be defined by their worst mistakes in life. With an inerasable criminal record, they are locked out of the American Dream. It becomes harder to get a good-paying job, pursue education or training, and own a home… The Clean Slate Act would ensure that people who pay their debt to society and stay on the straight and narrow can earn a second shot at a better life for themselves and their family. If enacted, this legislation would make meaningful strides in filling the 7.1 million unfilled jobs in our country and improve the everyday lives of 100 million Americans who have past records.” Source: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Democrat, Delaware, At-Large)
• “In Pennsylvania alone, approximately three million individuals, or over a third of working age citizens, have criminal records. Although many of these are the result of low-level, nonviolent offenses, criminal records can present a significant obstacle to employment, housing, and education… I look forward to working alongside Representative Blunt Rochester to ensure that those in our country who made mistakes in the past but have rehabilitated themselves and paid their debts to society, receive a clean slate and an opportunity to fully participate and contribute to our country’s economy.” Source: Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (Republican, Pennsylvania, District 14)
• “Following decades of overcriminalization, as many as 1 in 3 Americans now have some type of criminal record. In today’s digital era, any criminal record—even an old marijuana conviction—can stand in the way of jobs, housing, education, and more for years. As our nation reckons with the toll that mass incarceration and the war on drugs have taken on communities across the country—particularly low-income communities and communities of color—our policymakers must not only prioritize sentencing reforms but also policies to ensure that families and communities ravaged by the war on drugs can move on with their lives and have a fair shot at a better life.” Source: Rebecca Vallas Vice President, Poverty Program at the Center for American Progress
• “In Pennsylvania alone, approximately three million individuals, or over a third of working age citizens, have criminal records. Although many of these are the result of low-level, nonviolent offenses, criminal records can present a significant obstacle to employment, housing, and education… I look forward to working alongside Representative Blunt Rochester to ensure that those in our country who made mistakes in the past but have rehabilitated themselves and paid their debts to society, receive a clean slate and an opportunity to fully participate and contribute to our country’s economy.” Source: Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (Republican, Pennsylvania, District 14)
• “Following decades of overcriminalization, as many as 1 in 3 Americans now have some type of criminal record. In today’s digital era, any criminal record—even an old marijuana conviction—can stand in the way of jobs, housing, education, and more for years. As our nation reckons with the toll that mass incarceration and the war on drugs have taken on communities across the country—particularly low-income communities and communities of color—our policymakers must not only prioritize sentencing reforms but also policies to ensure that families and communities ravaged by the war on drugs can move on with their lives and have a fair shot at a better life.” Source: Rebecca Vallas Vice President, Poverty Program at the Center for American Progress
