Clean Slate Clearinghouse goes live
Earlier today the Council of State Governments (CSG) launched the Clean Slate Clearinghouse, an impressive online resource that provides information on the availability of expungement and sealing in all 50 states and helps individuals with criminal records connect with pro bono legal service providers. The project, which is jointly funded by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Labor, is the result of over a year’s work by CSG and its partner organizations.
The resource is focused squarely on record closure mechanisms and does not cover restoration authorities that leave the record intact, such as executive pardon, judicial certificates of relief, or nondiscrimination laws. It also does not directly address the effect of closure in different jurisdictions. It does, however, provide succinct information about the various record closure procedures available in each state, and does so in a way that non-lawyers can easily understand. In addition, it collects links to state application forms and guides as well as links to helpful third-party resources. As such, it will be a useful tool for individuals seeking to leave their criminal records in the past. It complements the more detailed legal analysis in the Restoration of Rights Project.
The Clearinghouse is available at https://cleanslateclearinghouse.org. We look forward to hearing about how it is being put to use and to watching its further development. The official project description follows: