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Supporters push for automatic 'clean slate' sealing to clear hundreds of thousands of old records
Summary
Advocates, civil-rights groups, businesses and reentry organizations told the Joint Committee automatic sealing ("Clean Slate") would remove workforce and housing barriers for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents and boost the economy.
Advocates, reentry organizations and a cross-section of business and civic groups urged the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to advance bills that would automatically seal eligible criminal records when individuals meet statutory waiting periods.
Lede: Witnesses said the state’s current petition-based CORI (criminal offender record information) sealing process is confusing, slow and burdensome, and that automatic sealing could immediately benefit hundreds of thousands of residents who are eligible today but have not petitioned the courts.
Nut graf: Speakers included representatives from Greater Boston Legal Services, public interest legal groups, business organizations and formerly incarcerated people. They cited research from other states showing automatic sealing improves employment outcomes, reduces recidivism and increases tax revenue. Several employers — including large financial institutions — said automating sealing would expand workforce pipelines during a labor shortage.
Details: Testimony and written submissions described practical barriers — the cost of legal representation, lack of public awareness and administrative backlogs — that leave many eligible residents without sealed records. Presenters noted 12 other states have implemented automatic sealing with sizable results, and members of the Clean Slate Coalition and national Clean Slate Initiative offered implementation assistance to state agencies.
Next steps: Committee questioned data-sharing and technical implementation with state agencies and asked stakeholders to provide implementation plans. No vote was taken at the hearing.
