Clean Slate Laws Are Changing Lives in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Utah — But Many Aren’t Aware of Them

For millions of people in America, a past arrest or conviction record creates barriers to stability — blocking jobs, housing, and education — even years after they have completed their sentences and remained crime-free. 

Clean Slate laws are designed to help break these barriers by automatically sealing eligible records, giving people a fresh start without a costly and complicated petition process. To date, twelve states have passed Clean Slate laws, and several have started automatically sealing records, otherwise known as the “implementation” phase of Clean Slate. For the states that have begun implementing, one big question comes up often: “Do people know about Clean Slate?”

Our latest research brief focuses on awareness of Clean Slate laws in three states in the implementation phase: Pennsylvania, Utah, and Michigan, which began implementing Clean Slate in 2019, 2020, and 2023, respectively. The brief pulls from a survey of 800 people with arrest and conviction records in those states. The survey was conducted by YouGov, in collaboration with Dr. Nyron Crawford, Associate Professor of Political Science at Temple University. The study reveals a critical insight: while nearly half of those surveyed may be eligible for record clearance, most are unaware of it.

Key Findings:

Many could benefit from Clean Slate — but don’t know it. Across the three states, nearly 50% of respondents believed they might be eligible for Clean Slate relief — but only 24% had heard of the law before the survey.

People are mostly learning about Clean Slate in their state from the news. More than half of our survey respondents – 52% – first learned about Clean Slate from the news/media. The second highest response was from a legal professional or agency (20%), and very few people had heard about Clean Slate from other avenues (friends, family, social media, etc.).

There are demographic gaps in awareness. Education level, employment status, and marital status all influenced how likely someone was to know about Clean Slate. 

The Takeaway? 

Clean Slate is working, but without strong outreach efforts, many eligible individuals won’t benefit from it. We need better strategies — like direct notifications, community partnerships, and clear, accessible information — to ensure that these life-changing policies reach the people who need them most. The Clean Slate Initiative is actively working with partners to identify effective solutions to this challenge. 

Read the full research brief to learn more about awareness around Clean Slate laws and how we can ensure everyone who qualifies gets the fresh start they deserve.