Advocates renew push for Clean Slate

By Jacob Kaye

Four years after New York State implemented its application-based record sealing law, a group of advocates are calling on legislators to do more.

The Clean Slate NY coalition is asking the State Senate and Assembly to pass the Clean Slate Act, which would automatically seal a number of criminal records. The bill is sponsored by Queens Assemblymember Catalina Cruz and Brooklyn Sen. Zellnor Myrie.

Advocates say that the current laws, while better than the previous laws around record sealing, still place obstacles in the way of people struggling to escape their past. The laws are narrow and have qualifying conditions that exclude many people from clearing their records.

In 2018, a Queens woman applied to have a 34-year-old robbery conviction sealed, the Eagle reported. The crime dated back to her teenage years, when she stole a “unicorn charm” from a classmate in 1984. The woman took a plea deal convicting her of the violent felony, which can’t be sealed.

The Clean Slate Act would allow for felony records to be sealed seven years after the completion of a sentence, and misdemeanor records to be sealed three years after the completion of a sentence.

It also would eliminate the need for New Yorkers to seek legal counsel and navigate the government’s processes when attempting to seal their records.

New Yorkers with criminal records face discrimination in housing, employment, licensing and education opportunities, which prompted the legislature to first pass the record sealing laws in 2017.

Michelle DelVecchio, who’s criminal record doesn’t qualify for sealing, said she’s been “rejected from countless jobs,” as a result of her past conviction.

“I have all the skills and wherewithal to succeed in life, but my past convictions have meant that I don’t have a real second chance,” said DelVecchio, who is a member of the Center for Community Alternatives. “The current sealing law is a step in the right direction, but it’s simply not enough for the people like me who are not eligible or who are not able to overcome the bureaucratic hurdles of the current law. The Clean Slate Act would be a lifeline for me and my family, and I hope our elected officials realize just how urgent this issue is for millions of us across the state.”

If passed, the Clean Slate Act is expected to seal the records of 2.3 million New Yorkers.

The legislature returns to session in January 2022.