About the Campaign

Clean Slate is about Fairness, Safety, and Second Chances

Empower Missouri and a team of dedicated campaign partners are spearheading a statewide campaign to pass Clean Slate legislation in Missouri. Our partners at the University of Missouri– Kansas City are engaging in a deep review of current expungement law in the state and working with many state agencies and other partners to develop a policy proposal for Missouri in line with the guidelines from the national Clean Slate Initiative. In the meantime, we’re building teams of individuals and organizations to help educate the public about Clean Slate legislation and prepare to advocate for these important changes to our lawmakers next year.

 

So what is Clean Slate legislation, and why do we need it in Missouri? 

  • Under Missouri’s existing expungement laws, tens of thousands of people are eligible to have their records expunged, yet research shows that only about 1% are actually successful in obtaining expungement. There is a huge gap between the intent of Missouri’s expungement law and its actual success in delivering second chances to people who have served their time, remained crime-free and turned their lives around. This is due to a costly, burdensome petition-based process that prevents the vast majority of eligible individuals from ever obtaining relief and moving forward with their lives. Everyone who qualifies for expungement should get the clean slate they’ve earned—regardless of whether they can afford a lawyer and expensive court fees or have the knowledge to navigate a complex court process. Clean Slate would automate the process for eligible records, replacing the petition based process.

  • Approximately 95% of incarcerated individuals serve their sentences and come home. By eliminating barriers to jobs, housing, and education, automated records expungement allows individuals to support themselves and their families, reducing recidivism. Research shows that five years after benefitting from expungement, individuals were less likely than members of the general public to be convicted of a crime.

  • A brush with the law, no matter how minor, can result in a record that can become a lifelong sentence to stigma, reduced opportunity, and poverty. It doesn’t have to be this way. Studies show that one year after a record has been cleared, people are 11% more likely to be employed and earn 22% higher wages. That means thriving families, safer communities and fewer taxpayer dollars spent on unemployment benefits and other public assistance.

  • Missouri businesses are struggling to find workers, yet tens of thousands oof qualified applicants can’t take these jobs because of their criminal records, some of which are decades old. Expungement can help individuals build a better life while strengthening local businesses and boosting our local economy.

Clean Slate legislation has already been passed by bipartisan groups of legislators and activists in Utah, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Campaigns are underway in many other states around the country.

1%

of those eligible for expungement are able to obtain it.

95%

of incarcerated individuals serve their time and come home.

11%

more likely to get a job after expungement.

22%

higher wages within one year of having their record cleared.