Happy New Year!  Thank you so much for spending time with us this year on our tools, news, and commentary.  In 2018, visitors most frequently utilized the resources in our Restoration of Rights Project: a state-by-state and federal guide to pardons, sealing & expungement, loss & restoration of civil rights and firearms rights, and consideration of criminal records in employment and licensing.  In addition, links to our top 10 posts and most popular tweets from 2018 are below.

We have several projects in store for 2019 to expand our work of promoting public discussion of collateral consequences and restoration of rights and status.  To begin with, we will issue in January 2019 a report on the unprecedented number of new “fair chance” laws enacted in the past year: 29 states and the District of Columbia enacted more than 50 separate new laws, many addressing more than one type of restoration mechanism.  18 states expanded their laws authorizing sealing or expungement, Florida voters acted to restore the vote to more than 1.5 million individuals with felony convictions, and a bipartisan effort to reform how licensing agencies treat people with a criminal record bore fruit in a dozen states.  In addition, in early 2019 we also expect to begin a major research project to determine which kinds of restoration laws are most effective in furthering reintegration.

More to come soon!

Top 10 new posts in 2018

1. California enacts modest occupational licensing reform

2. May background screeners lawfully report expunged records?

3. More states enact major “second chance” reforms

4. Michigan set-asides found to increase wages and reduce recidivism

5. Appreciating the full consequences of a misdemeanor

6. Collateral Consequences in Occupational Licensing Act

7. Landmark criminal record disclosure case in the UK Supreme Court

8. Automated sealing nears enactment in Pennsylvania

9. Indiana enacts progressive new licensing law

10. Vermont AG supports opportunities for diversion and expungement

10 Most Popular Tweets in 2018

CA Gov Jerry Brown announced his Christmas Eve clemency actions: 143 pardons and 131 commutations. With 283 commutations and 1,332 pardons, he’s granted more clemency requests in his last eight years in office than any of his last eight predecessors. https://t.co/iQXexD3YyJ

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) December 25, 2018

“We’d like to see [TX Gov] Abbott—and governors in other states—issue a significant number of full pardons to the many thousands of women convicted of prostitution and drug-related crimes who fell victim to sex traffickers.” @dallasnews ed board https://t.co/F8SsalJlkX

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) December 25, 2018

According to a new report by @PolicyMattersOH, more than 800 laws and rules are locking Ohioans with criminal convictions out of more than 1 million jobs https://t.co/lQ0ORSoNhm Report: https://t.co/7lOgejJcVQ

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) December 27, 2018

Convicts Seeking to Clear Their Records Find More Prosecutors Willing to Help https://t.co/ifiTKbTKgf

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) October 8, 2018

What does it take to get a second chance? https://t.co/AeVh9Y2ZpL

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) October 30, 2018

Florida’s Amendment 4: Restoring voting rights to people with felonies might also reduce crime https://t.co/y8vV7sVFPX via @ConversationUS

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) October 28, 2018

Mug shots would not be public until conviction under new IL bill https://t.co/fsrTvtU6qJ

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) December 12, 2018

A Different Approach to the “Collateral” Consequences of Conviction by John Rubin
https://t.co/f54Xmm3pME

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) November 15, 2018

** new lawsuit thread **
1 @ij has filed a lawsuit on behalf of two women who were denied a license by the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology based of their criminal record, because they could not establish the necessary “good moral character.”
Complaint: https://t.co/MlQYMfx8wq

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) December 21, 2018

Locked out: Critics say it’s time to end Kentucky’s ban on felon voting https://t.co/ixJvXGESys via @courierjournal

— Collateral Consequences Resource Center (@CCRC_Official) November 13, 2018