There are many ways a criminal conviction can have impacts on a person long into the future. One is through the mark being convicted of a crime puts on one’s record. Such a mark can have impacts on a person’s employment options and a range of other aspects of his or her life.
A new Pennsylvania law aims to cut down on how long this mark can severely interfere with a person’s future. It is called the Clean Slate law. It aims to give a clean slate to individuals convicted of certain lower-level crimes long in the past.
The law was passed last year. The law’s first phase went into effect in late December. This phase allows for the records of individuals convicted of certain misdemeanors in the past who have stayed conviction-free for at least the last 10 years to be sealed.
The second phase is set to kick off in late June of this year. This phase involves the establishment of an automatic system for sealing records of certain past lower-level criminal offenses and of arrests that didn’t lead to conviction.
A record being sealed under this law restricts who can access it, thus reducing the impacts the record could have moving forward. As a note, sealed offenses could still be spotted in federal background checks, as the state’s sealing orders are not currently honored by the FBI.
What do you think of this new law? Do you think it will allow for brighter futures for those with past criminal convictions in the state?
Changes in the laws regarding criminal records can have major impacts on people accused of or convicted of crimes. When individuals have questions on whether such a law change that has occurred would have any major impacts on their present or future situation, they can seek out guidance on the matter from skilled criminal defense attorneys.