Judiciary committee hearing on S.12 focuses on records management, researcher access and protections for people with criminal records

Witnesses at a Judiciary Committee hearing urged lawmakers to strengthen records-management, public-access and research protections in S.12, the bill that would expand use of sealing and expungement of criminal records in Vermont.

"We believe that expungement should remain on the table more broadly than it is represented in this bill," Susana Davis, Executive Director of Racial Equity, told the committee. Davis said the bill needs clearer definitions for sealing, expungement and retention, stronger records-management planning and plain-language materials so people understand how the law affects them.

Davis asked the committee to consult the state archivist and the chief records officer and to consider requiring that people routinely receive a hard copy of their own records before records are altered or destroyed. "We see that as an important part of not just transparency, but also as access to justice," she said.

Researchers and analysts told the panel they also need continued access to sealed information for longitudinal studies and for tracking disparate impacts over time. "Criminal histories are the gold standard because they are fingerprint supported," said Dr. Robin Joy, director of research, explaining that…