Impact and Awareness of Clean Slate Policy:
A Longitudinal Multistate Investigation
Criminal record clearance, or expungement, has the potential to mitigate or remove some of the consequences associated with a criminal record. As of July 2024, all but five U.S. states have some form of general record sealing or set-aside. However, many eligible people are unaware that record clearance is available; and for those who do know, the process of applying for criminal record clearance can be complex, time-consuming, and costly, involving administrative costs and sometimes legal fees. For these reasons, a large proportion of individuals who are eligible for petition-based expungement do not successfully complete the process. This 3-part study employs mixed methodologies to understand awareness and impact of Clean Slate policy across a broad set of U.S. states.
First, we will leverage a quasi-experimental longitudinal interview methodology to document the impact of Clean Slate among Clean Slate-eligible individuals who were interviewed in our previous study (2021-2023). By comparing pre- and post-expungement interview data with the same directly-impacted people, we center the voices of those who are most affected while gaining a deep and nuanced understanding of both the anticipated and actual impacts – as well as limitations and potential areas for policy improvement.
Second, we will partner with YouGov to conduct survey research measuring awareness of Clean Slate among eligible justice-impacted individuals in five states with recently enacted policies (N = 750). We will then field the survey again the following year to measure changes in policy awareness over time.
Third, we will identify best practices for messaging and notification through qualitative interviews with community stakeholders, policymakers, and advocates