Clean Slate Act takes effect

November 18, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

STATEWIDE – NEW YORK’S CLEAN Slate Act, sponsored by state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, officially went into effect on Saturday, reports City and State. The act, signed into law by Governor Hochul last year, is intended to help people who have completed prison sentences rejoin the workforce by sealing criminal records after a period of time, provided the person does not reoffend. Misdemeanor records will be sealed after three years, while some felonies, including Class A drug-related felonies, will be sealed after eight years. Sex crimes and other Class A felonies will not be sealed under the act.

In a response to a question about objections from conservatives, Myrie told City and State, “Clean Slate did not engender the same sort of messaging backlash from opponents that other efforts have. I think that speaks to the substance of the law. And that is, it is a basic function of fairness that if someone has paid their dues to society after being convicted, that they should have an opportunity to reintegrate and to contribute to our local economy.

“But also, the coalition that was built around this […] signaled that this was good for business. And in an election cycle where we have seen many New Yorkers care very deeply about the state of our economy and what their economic future looks like, to have done this in partnership with the business community, I think is going to be really important going forward.”

The state government is currently preparing to work through a backlog of people who would be now eligible to have records sealed.

✰✰✰