The Clean Slate Initiative

The Clean Slate Initiative Supporting partners to advance bi-partisan automatic record sealing policies.

70 million people in America have an arrest or conviction record, and fewer than 10% of people who qualify for petition-...
06/18/2026

70 million people in America have an arrest or conviction record, and fewer than 10% of people who qualify for petition-based record sealing ever successfully navigate those systems. Between costly fees, complicated legal processes, and long wait times, the system makes it nearly impossible.

In a recent Davis Vanguard piece, CSI’s Implementation Director Katie Svoboda-Kindle explains why automated record sealing is one of the most effective ways to deliver relief at scale:

“Instead of having the burden be on the individual to file a petition, the burden shifts to the government.”

Read the full piece here: https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/in-the-news/clean-slate-initiative-drives-national-push-for-automated-record-sealing

Delaware has expunged 64,000 records through Clean Slate automation — a major step toward removing unnecessary barriers ...
06/17/2026

Delaware has expunged 64,000 records through Clean Slate automation — a major step toward removing unnecessary barriers to jobs, housing, education, and stability. This is welcome progress, and now it’s time to build on the momentum.

64,000 records expunged means thousands of people may now have a better chance at jobs, housing, education, and stability. That’s the promise of Clean Slate — and Delaware is taking an important step toward fulfilling it.

This is not the finish line, but it is a significant moment. Delaware has shown that automated record clearance can work at scale. Now the state must keep going until every eligible person receives the relief the law promises.

A second chance only works if people know they have one. As Delaware continues Clean Slate implementation, public education will be key so people understand eligibility, timelines, and how to confirm their records have been cleared.

Read more at cleanslateinitiative.org/updates

Tide Shift Justice Project ACLU of Delaware Wilmington Alliance

Talent doesn’t disappear because of an arrest or conviction record. As a Directly Impacted business owner, Tony Justich ...
06/11/2026

Talent doesn’t disappear because of an arrest or conviction record.

As a Directly Impacted business owner, Tony Justich of Tuk-Tuk Fusion knows this firsthand. When people with records have access to meaningful work, they can support their families, contribute to their communities, and build stable futures. That’s why Tuk-Tuk Fusion gives preference to hiring others with similar lived experience.

We’re grateful to business leaders like Tony who use their own journey to uplift others and champion fair access to opportunity.

Business leaders: Join the growing list of employers supporting America’s Untapped Talent at ➡️ cleanslateinitiative.org/americas-untapped-talent

06/09/2026

Kimberly Stutson knows firsthand what a real second chance means — and what happens when it’s out of reach.

In a conversation with The Clean Slate Initiative, she opens up about her experience navigating life with a record — including the significant barriers she faced even 30 years after completing her sentence — and why Oklahoma’s Act gives her hope for the future.

Her story reflects the reality faced by millions of people in America:

1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has an arrest or conviction record. Even after doing everything asked of them, people with records face barriers to employment, housing, education, and financial stability. And even when someone is eligible for record sealing, the process can be costly, time-consuming, and out of reach.

That’s where Clean Slate comes in. The Clean Slate Initiative works to pass and implement automated record sealing laws so people with arrest or conviction records can access real second chances. Clean Slate laws have now passed in 13 states — soon to be 14 with a bill pending Governor Kehoe’s signature in Missouri — and as a result, over 18 million people on a pathway to record sealing.

Watch Kimberly’s full interview, and hear more from our storytellers: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrR_pXI22jTAfovw4MN6J9RPlyphJMat2&si=IXUZRtoiucvk3g8o

The push for Clean Slate laws is “one of the most successful criminal reform movements in recent years,” according to CN...
06/04/2026

The push for Clean Slate laws is “one of the most successful criminal reform movements in recent years,” according to CNN.

Read how CEO Sheena Meade and The Clean Slate Initiative are working to change public policy and expand record sealing for millions of people in America.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/30/us/clean-slate-reform-movement

Oklahoma just made stronger by signing SB 2030 into law!In 2022, Oklahoma became the 6th state to pass Clean Slate leg...
06/04/2026

Oklahoma just made stronger by signing SB 2030 into law!

In 2022, Oklahoma became the 6th state to pass Clean Slate legislation, making a promise to put people with arrest or conviction records on a path to record sealing and real second chances.

But technical and administrative challenges slowed progress. SB 2030 addresses that by removing steps that require manual work, making the system more efficient and scalable. It also sets clear deadlines for implementation: record sealing must begin by November 2027 and records eligible for Clean Slate as of that date must be sealed by November 2029 — ensuring accountability and preventing delays.

Once implemented, 354,000 adults in will be on a path to full record sealing, opening doors to employment, housing, education, and financial stability.

Swipe to learn more about SB 2030!


Governor Kevin Stitt
Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform
Right On Crime
Justice Action Network

📅 Mark your calendars! Join us on Tuesday, June 23, for a practical conversation on how organizers are using relationshi...
06/03/2026

📅 Mark your calendars!

Join us on Tuesday, June 23, for a practical conversation on how organizers are using relationship-based outreach and smarter data strategies to mobilize supporters, deepen engagement, and build stronger movements.

Together, we’ll explore:
✅ what effective relational organizing looks like in practice — including how organizers in Minnesota are using these strategies to advance Clean Slate notification
✅ how organizers activate trusted networks and community relationships
✅ ways data can support outreach without losing the human connection
✅ strategies organizers can apply right away.

Featuring:
Al Barrentine from Voter Justice Project and Antonio “Tone” Williams from T.O.N.E U.P.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z6lDT7VTSmm5ITwZWaYnlw #/registration

We’ve learned a lot about the justice system in the last 250 years. About what works, what doesn't work, and what could ...
06/02/2026

We’ve learned a lot about the justice system in the last 250 years. About what works, what doesn't work, and what could be much better. On this upcoming birthday of the U.S., our commitment is to do something with those learnings – to apply everything we know about safety, accountability, and justice – and to start building the legacy of the next 250 years.

Because justice in the next 250 doesn’t have to look like the first 250. We know better, and that means it’s time to do better.

Justice & The Next 250 is an invitation to shift our collective focus to what CAN BE, and to lead the way there with expertise, with courage, with conviction. It’s permission to build a justice system future generations can be proud of. For us here at The Clean Slate Initiative, this looks like building a future where people with arrest or conviction records are no longer defined by their past — where automated record sealing opens doors to work, education, and opportunity for the next 250 years.

For more from Justice & The Next 250 and to see what’s to come, follow our partners at The Just Trust.

Clean Slate Replay 2025: Strategy 🤝 ResearchOur approach isn’t accidental.Every Clean Slate policy we advance is shaped ...
05/28/2026

Clean Slate Replay 2025: Strategy 🤝 Research

Our approach isn’t accidental.

Every Clean Slate policy we advance is shaped by research that asks hard questions about equity, access, and real-world impact.

Research led or funded by CSI in 2025 shows that systems relying on discretion, paperwork, or individual navigation consistently leave people behind — especially those facing racial, economic, or technological barriers.

Automated, state-initiated processes dramatically expand access, while still allowing room for individualized, equitable review in more complex cases.

Read more about these critical findings in our 2025 Annual Report:
https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/documents/2025-annual-report

05/27/2026

"It’ll put people who are educated and overqualified back into positions that need to be filled." See how Oklahoma's new automatic expungement and prison reform laws aim to help hundreds of thousands of people get a true fresh start.

https://ow.ly/sjKK50Z2jev

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