No Limits to Redemption: Expanding Access to Relief by Removing Arbitrary Caps

• In Event: Roundtable: Reentry

Abstract

Twelve states and Washington, D.C., have enacted Clean Slate automatic record clearance laws designed to mitigate the long-term consequences of criminal records. Yet, caps on the number of convictions eligible for relief limit the transformative potential of these policies. This paper examines the rationale for reducing and eliminating such caps, drawing on legal comparisons, empirical evidence, and demographic data across jurisdictions that have passed Clean Slate laws. Caps disproportionately affect individuals with multiple convictions, particularly Black Americans, who are more likely to be burdened by complex records and systemic inequities. These restrictive policies result in otherwise-eligible convictions remaining publicly accessible, perpetuating barriers to employment and housing, depressing earnings and workforce participation, and undermining public safety. We demonstrate that removing caps on eligible records could expand relief to hundreds of thousands more individuals while significantly narrowing racial disparities in access to second chances. The analysis includes state-level estimates of how many more people, particularly Black adults, would be eligible for full record relief if caps were eliminated. Further, this paper contributes to growing evidence that expansive record relief frameworks are just and effective policy tools for promoting societal inclusion and economic opportunity.

Authors

• Kali Lamb, The Clean Slate Initiative

• Laura Chavez, The Clean Slate Initiative

• Liz Johnson, The Clean Slate Initiative