A proposed law in Connecticut would automatically clear misdemeanors and low-level felonies for people who’ve served their time and remain conviction-free for about seven years.
Some state lawmakers would like to expand the bill. Democratic State Senator Gary Winfield of New Haven is co-chair of the Judiciary Committee. He says there should be a way to make Clean Slate available to more people.
“If you leave mothers and fathers in a system where they can’t get employment, where they can’t get housing, you are not just talking about them. You are talking about their children and our communities. This issue is much bigger than whether or not some ex-offender, and I hate that term, some ex-offender, gets relief or not.”
Winfield says he is crafting a bill that would provide relief for four times as many people. It would also include an anti-discrimination clause to ensure that ex-offenders don’t have to wait unduly long after they’ve served their time to get their records expunged by the state parole board.
