About 70 to 100 million Americans have some sort of criminal record, standing in the way of reentry, economic stability and full participation in society. Black, Indigenous and Latino communities have been particularly harmed, with people of color disproportionately bearing the brunt of mass incarceration and overcriminalization. The Center for American Progress teamed up with Community Legal Services (CLS) in Philadelphia in 2014 to propose “clean slate,” making criminal record clearance both automatic and automated. In addition, the National Employment Law Project (NELP) has supported state leaders in adopting fair chance licensing, which reforms state occupational licensing laws that impose unfair and unnecessary barriers to employment for people with records. Other initiatives have been proposed, including a three-year one focused on supporting state leaders in advancing clean slate and fair chance licensing policies in the states.
