Clean Slate Begins Changing Lives in Connecticut
I’m proudly from New Haven, CT, but early on in my life, I came to understand the differential treatment of communities affected by the legal system, even in the halls of my public schools. I also came to know a community of advocates, unwavering in their belief that it is possible to create a fairer and more just Connecticut. That unwavering spirit has helped bring about the state’s recent Clean Slate law, a simple policy that can create transformational changes in people’s lives.
The Clean Slate Initiative’s Research and Data team estimates that around 200,000* people are eligible to have their records fully cleared under the law. Last year, Connecticut started clearing low-level cannabis possession convictions, and in December, Governor Ned Lamont announced that more than 80,000 people would have convictions cleared from their records over the next month as a result of the state’s Clean Slate legislation. Even more conviction records will be cleared by the end of June 2024. This victory represents a profound win for grassroots organizing and interfaith coalition building.
As part of the Connecticut Clean Slate coalition, CSI partnered with state-based groups, including CONECT, an inter-faith and volunteer-led organization, to pass meaningful legislation and to build the on-the-ground power necessary to ensure the law is properly implemented. CONECT is a collective of churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and civic organizations from New Haven and Fairfield Counties – representing more than 30,000 people from different races, faith backgrounds, and people living in both cities and suburbs – that have joined together to take action on social and economic justice.
The broad and diverse coalition includes non-profits, businesses, and community advocates working with elected officials and other stakeholders to make sure Connecticuters who have earned it get a meaningful second chance. It took everyone —from the CSI, CONECT, and the ACLU of Connecticut, to JPMorgan Chase, to Senator Gary Winfield and Representative Steve Stafstrom — working together to ensure that everyone has a chance to “Make It Here,” as the state slogan goes, by creating economic and social opportunity, equity, and safety for its residents.
This was a hard-fought win. Connecticut’s Clean Slate law, signed by Governor Ned Lamont in 2021, was initially slated to go into effect last year but faced unexpected delays that caused the full implementation to be pushed to 2024. Throughout the last 2023, Clean Slate coalition members led by CONECT worked diligently to move past the roadblocks and ensure that the promise of a second chance was delivered.
Connecticuters who bear the weight of a past arrest or conviction on their record have been held back, often for decades after completing the obligations of their court-imposed sentence. For people living with a record in Connecticut, a Clean Slate means removing substantial barriers to many life-sustaining goals, like securing a job or finding a place to live. This will have a huge impact on people’s lives, especially in Black and Brown communities that are disproportionately impacted by the legal system. This is a big step for Connecticut, and I am grateful to everyone who played a part in ensuring the people in my home state have a fair shot at building a better future for themselves and their families.
For more information on the state’s Clean Slate law, including eligibility information, visit portal.ct.gov/cleanslate.
*Editors Note: After the original publishing date of this blog post CSI updated our data model, resulting in an updated impact number (previously 300,000, now 200,000).