The Center Square: Clean Slate expansion could include sealing low-level felony records
Advocates say a bipartisan effort to seal criminal records for low-level felonies would give more people second chances and boost the Pennsylvania economy.
The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss House Bill 1826, which would expand the Clean Slate Act by automatically sealing some low-level felonies.
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Thirty-five states now have some form of felony sealing or expungement, noted Jenna Bottler, deputy director for the Justice Action Network.
HB1826 would make it easier for people to put their past behind them, experts argued.
“We know that individuals who remain crime free for four to seven years are no more likely to commit another crime than a member of the general public, but … only 6.5% of them ever actually achieve that expungement,” Bottler said.