Clean Slate Initiative Applauds Delaware’s Passage of Automated Record Expungement Legislation

Delaware legislature sends Clean Slate Act to Governor for signature, becoming the fifth state to pass Clean Slate legislation to automate expungement of eligible arrest and conviction records.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 2021

CONTACT: 

Sheena Meade

info@cleanslateinitiative.org

(407) 708 1558

The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI), a national bipartisan effort to automatically clear arrest and conviction records and promote second chances for tens of millions of Americans, celebrates the Delaware state legislature’s passage of the Clean Slate Act and encourages Governor Carney to swiftly sign the bills into law.

Delaware’s “Clean Slate Act” will automatically expunge simple misdemeanors and eligible felonies from the records of hundreds of people who have lived crime-free for a certain number of years. The pair of bills include Senate Bill 112 which modifies the list of charges that qualify for mandatory expungement under the petition-based law and Senate Bill 111 which automates the record clearance process for eligible non-conviction and conviction records, ensuring that wealth and legal representation no longer dictate access to relief. 

“The momentum for Clean Slate policies is growing across the country. Thanks to the leadership of organizations like the ACLU of Delaware, Game Changers, the Delaware Center for Justice and JP Morgan Chase, a criminal record will no longer be a life sentence to poverty in Delaware. A group of directly impacted Delawareans, lawmakers, business leaders, advocates, and key stakeholders from across the political spectrum and the state supported this smart policy and helped it cross the finish line,” said Sheena Meade, The Clean Slate Initiative Managing Director.

“We and our partners in the Clean Slate Delaware campaign urge Governor Carney to swiftly sign this package of bills, ensuring that Delaware joins the wave of states providing automatic record clearance for those eligible. Thousands of people will benefit from these meaningful bills,”

The Clean Slate Initiative, a member of the Clean Slate Delaware coalition, is a national bipartisan movement to automate the clearing of criminal records that block second chances for tens of millions of Americans. Following decades of overcriminalization, 70 - 100 million people in America have some type of record—and nearly half of all children in America have a parent with a record. In the digital era, with 94% of employers now using background checks, any record—no matter how old or minor—can be a life sentence to poverty.