The support and success behind Clean Slate continue to grow — but it’s not happening by chance. There’s a comprehensive, multi-year strategy behind the work that we do. That strategy is laid out in our Strategic Plan in detail, available on our website, and it involves a few key elements that propel this movement forward every day. Learn more in this blog post by our Chief of Staff, Alex Williams.

Sheena Meade, CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative, addresses campaign strategists, the media, and the general public in an open letter, urging careful consideration of the language used in the final few months of the presidential race.

On June 13 and 14, 2024, over 300 Clean Slate advocates from around the country gathered in Philadelphia for two days of learning and making connections at The Clean Slate Initiative’s 2024 Annual Convening. From the knowledge-sharing sessions to the networking opportunities to the planning for future campaigns, attendees truly embodied the event’s theme: Learning, Leading, and Going for More!

Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced executive actions granting pardons for misdemeanor convictions for possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. The move comes two weeks before the state is expected to remove misdemeanor cannabis convictions from the state’s Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), which is slated to happen on July 1, 2024.

This year’s 2024 Annual Convening were in for a special treat. We had the pleasure of partnering with directly impacted artists and authors to spotlight their work with our Clean Slate community, and we’re honored to be able to feature them here.

Research conducted in partnership with CSI was recently published as a working paper titled, “Can you Erase the Mark of a Criminal Record? Labor Market Impacts of Criminal Record Remediation” by Amanda Agan (Rutgers University) and several colleagues. Learn more in this blog post from Dr. Laura Chavez and Dr. Amanda Agan.

In May, CSI’s CEO Sheena Meade was invited to Cheyney University — the nation’s first HBCU — to receive an Honorary Doctor of Public Service in recognition of the work that she’s done to reform our justice system and deliver second chances. Read more in this blog post from Sheena.

At CSI, our work extends far beyond passing and implementing laws; it's also about fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment for the communities and individuals who are looking to receive a Clean Slate. That’s why we organized a volunteer experience for our team to support expungement clinics during Second Chance Month. Read more in this blog post from Jibria White, Operations Manager.

Every once in a while, an event comes along that you shouldn’t miss. If you’re in (or interested in) Clean Slate work, The Clean Slate Initiative’s 2024 Annual Convening is one of those events. Here are 5 reasons why you should register to attend today.

The 12 states that have already passed Clean Slate laws are the proof in the pudding: the momentum behind Clean Slate is fueled by the state partners who propel it forward every day. Get the latest updates on our active campaign states in this blog post by Erik Altieri, Interim Director of Campaigns.

The stories below highlight a few directly impacted people who are involved in Clean Slate work across the country. Take a few moments to read through their stories and learn more about the impact of redemption… because it’s about much #MoreThanSecondChances.

To truly become people-centric, government agencies, organizations, and employers must humanize the hiring process. This means reflecting on the barriers faced by many and taking actionable steps to dismantle these obstacles. Policy changes are a start, but the real test is in their implementation. Learn more in this blog post from Sha Shikhmuradova, CSI’s Director of Talent and Culture.

The Clean Slate Initiative’s mission includes not only passing Clean Slate policies but also ensuring they are implemented so that automatic record clearance becomes a reality for millions of people in America. While clearing arrest and conviction records can include technical hurdles, those hurdles aren’t insurmountable — especially with the right people at the table.

That’s why The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI) is pulling together the right mix of experts to learn how to address any implementation hurdles and build upon learnings from states as we go. One of those valued partnerships is with Code for America.

On Friday, March 29, President Biden issued a proclamation declaring April 2024 as Second Chance Month. This year’s proclamation comes after CSI’s team has been in direct contact with the White House, advocating for Clean Slate at the federal level. Learn more in this blog post by Reginald Darby, Federal Legislative Director.

As part of CSI’s ongoing recognition of WHM, we hosted a webinar titled "Celebrating Women's History Month: Trailblazers and Triumphs." The webinar allowed me to facilitate a pivotal discussion surrounding the legal system reform and solutions provided by automatic record clearance. Learn more and tune in to the webinar in this blog post by Sheena Meade, CEO.

In a breakthrough for public policy creation, a new data model unveiled by The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI) offers detailed insights into the crisis of arrest and conviction records in America. The data model powers The CSI Data Dashboard, which presents data visualizations and population estimates for people in the U.S. impacted by arrest and conviction records, with data further broken down by race, ethnicity, sex, and type of record within each state and over time.

We’re launching a one-of-its-kind data dashboard that provides state-specific data about records and the impacts of record clearance policies. Learn more in this blog post by Dr. Laura Chavez, Director of Research and Data.

The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI) continues to advance Clean Slate at the federal level in 2024 — and part of our strategy for that advancement is relationship building on the Hill. Learn more in this blog post by Reginald Darby, Federal Legislative Director.

Today is International Women’s Day, an annual moment to deeply reflect on women's contributions to shaping our lives, communities, and country. There is no limit to the number of women who have contributed to reforming our nation’s legal system, and we’ve highlighted a handful in this blog post from Sheena Meade, CEO.

Following the Maryland Clean Slate coalition’s official launch in early January, the state partners were hard at work pushing progress forward. At the end of January, the Maryland Clean Slate Act of 2024 was introduced in both chambers with bipartisan support and strong legislative champions. Learn more about the bills, and the Maryland campaign, in this blog post from Ryan Ewing, Campaign Strategist.