The results of the recent elections make clear that New Yorkers are very anxious about their economic security and public safety. For many, the rising costs of housing, childcare and other basic necessities put stability out of reach. Financial strain, in turn, can contribute to increased criminal activity and mental health issues that make everyone feel less safe.
The Clean Slate Act– signed last year and taking effect today– is a smart and practical response to both of these concerns. Clean Slate will expand opportunity for approximately 2.3 million New Yorkers who, long after serving time for past crimes, face huge barriers to employment, housing, and stability for their families and communities.
Clean Slate creates an automatic process to seal certain conviction histories, excluding serious felonies and sex offenses. The new law will only apply to those who have served their full sentence and remained out of trouble for at least three years (for misdemeanors) and up to eight years (for more serious offenses). Records under seal will always remain visible to police, prosecutors and judges, and to employers considering applicants for sensitive jobs working with children, the elderly and people with disabilities. And the timeline for sealing records will be reset for anyone who reoffends, ensuring this law will only apply to New Yorkers who have made a sustained commitment to staying out of trouble with the law.
Clean Slate doesn’t just help those who have served their time and remained conviction-free– it’s a victory for New York. When we remove barriers to economic participation, we create a fairer, stronger, and more inclusive state. Statewide, keeping people out of the job market costs up to $12.6 billion in lost wages each year. Sealing records will also help bridge the racial wealth gap and unlock billions in economic potential.
Businesses stand to gain, too. Clean Slate will expand the labor pool, giving employers access to a motivated workforce. These new employees will boost New York’s tax base, supporting public services we all depend on, while helping build the economic fabric of their neighborhoods. They’ll spend their paychecks locally—on dinners out, trips to the movies, days at the park with their kids—fueling the economy and creating a more vibrant community for all of us.
And Clean Slate will improve public safety. The reality is that formerly incarcerated New Yorkers return to our communities every single day. Criminal sentences are completed, parole is granted, probation ends. Our new law offers nothing to those who are pulled back into the cycle of crime and commit another offense.
But for those who are committed to turning their lives around– and who demonstrate that commitment by remaining out of legal trouble for many years– Clean Slate means a fair chance at holding down a decent job, getting an apartment or enrolling in school. It defies logic, and our public safety objectives, to keep millions of New Yorkers permanently unemployable, unable to return to their communities, and untethered to the economy.
For all these reasons, Clean Slate assembled the largest and most diverse coalition in support of any bill in recent memory. Business and labor groups, Fortune 500 employers, prosecutors and local governments, faith leaders and victims’ advocates all know how important this law is for our communities, our economy and our system of justice.
We’ve seen this work in other states– from deep-red Utah and Oklahoma to blue states like California and Connecticut. In Michigan, people with sealed records were 11% more likely to find employment and earned 22% more than those without record sealing. They also showed a lower rate of recidivism, proving that opportunity is a powerful antidote to crime.
New Yorkers of all stripes have made it clear they want a safer, fairer and more prosperous future. By removing the barriers that block basic necessities for our formerly incarcerated neighbors, we’re building that future, beginning today. We are proud of our state for enacting Clean Slate and strengthening New York’s economy and public safety infrastructure for all.
