The Clean Slate Initiative

The push for Clean Slate laws is “one of the most successful criminal reform movements in recent years,” according to CNN.

Read how CEO Sheena Meade and The Clean Slate Initiative are working to change public policy and expand record sealing for millions of people in America.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/30/us/clean-slate-reform-movement

Oklahoma just made stronger by signing SB 2030 into law!

In 2022, Oklahoma became the 6th state to pass Clean Slate legislation, making a promise to put people with arrest or conviction records on a path to record sealing and real second chances.

But technical and administrative challenges slowed progress. SB 2030 addresses that by removing steps that require manual work, making the system more efficient and scalable. It also sets clear deadlines for implementation: record sealing must begin by November 2027 and records eligible for Clean Slate as of that date must be sealed by November 2029 — ensuring accountability and preventing delays.

Once implemented, 354,000 adults in will be on a path to full record sealing, opening doors to employment, housing, education, and financial stability.

Swipe to learn more about SB 2030!


Governor Kevin Stitt
Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform
Right On Crime
Justice Action Network

📅 Mark your calendars!

Join us on Tuesday, June 23, for a practical conversation on how organizers are using relationship-based outreach and smarter data strategies to mobilize supporters, deepen engagement, and build stronger movements.

Together, we’ll explore:
✅ what effective relational organizing looks like in practice — including how organizers in Minnesota are using these strategies to advance Clean Slate notification
✅ how organizers activate trusted networks and community relationships
✅ ways data can support outreach without losing the human connection
✅ strategies organizers can apply right away.

Featuring:
Al Barrentine from Voter Justice Project and Antonio “Tone” Williams from T.O.N.E U.P.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z6lDT7VTSmm5ITwZWaYnlw #/registration

We’ve learned a lot about the justice system in the last 250 years. About what works, what doesn't work, and what could be much better. On this upcoming birthday of the U.S., our commitment is to do something with those learnings – to apply everything we know about safety, accountability, and justice – and to start building the legacy of the next 250 years.

Because justice in the next 250 doesn’t have to look like the first 250. We know better, and that means it’s time to do better.

Justice & The Next 250 is an invitation to shift our collective focus to what CAN BE, and to lead the way there with expertise, with courage, with conviction. It’s permission to build a justice system future generations can be proud of. For us here at The Clean Slate Initiative, this looks like building a future where people with arrest or conviction records are no longer defined by their past — where automated record sealing opens doors to work, education, and opportunity for the next 250 years.

For more from Justice & The Next 250 and to see what’s to come, follow our partners at The Just Trust.

Clean Slate Replay 2025: Strategy 🤝 Research

Our approach isn’t accidental.

Every Clean Slate policy we advance is shaped by research that asks hard questions about equity, access, and real-world impact.

Research led or funded by CSI in 2025 shows that systems relying on discretion, paperwork, or individual navigation consistently leave people behind — especially those facing racial, economic, or technological barriers.

Automated, state-initiated processes dramatically expand access, while still allowing room for individualized, equitable review in more complex cases.

Read more about these critical findings in our 2025 Annual Report:
https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/documents/2025-annual-report

"It’ll put people who are educated and overqualified back into positions that need to be filled." See how Oklahoma's new automatic expungement and prison reform laws aim to help hundreds of thousands of people get a true fresh start.

https://ow.ly/sjKK50Z2jev

📢 We're launching our first-ever internship pilot program!

The Clean Slate Initiative is looking for a Federal Campaigns Intern to support advocacy, research, communications, and campaign coordination — helping advance policies nationwide. This is a 15-week, part-time, paid remote role with preference for candidates in or near Washington, D.C.

⏰ We are now accepting applications through June 1st, 2026.

Interested or know someone who might be? Learn more, share with your network, and apply here: https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/careers-rfps/federal-campaigns-intern

Clean Slate Replay 2025: Nationwide Action

Real change starts with directly impacted voices.

During the Clean Slate week of Action, constituents met directly with Members of Congress and district staff across 10 states, sharing firsthand experiences and making clear what’s at stake when opportunity is delayed.

20 meetings. 10 states. One message: it’s time to pass the Clean Slate Act.

Learn more about our nationwide action in the 2025 Annual Report: https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/documents/2025-annual-report

Clean Slate Replay 2025: From Our Partners

The movement for second chances is stronger because of the partners who believe in it. 💜

From expanding opportunity and strengthening communities, to bridging the gap between justice reform and economic competitiveness, to advancing at the federal level — our partners are at the heart of this work.

We’re proud to share what some of them had to say in our 2025 Annual Report, including these testimonials from Akua Amaning at Center for American Progress, Maha Jweied at Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, Jillian Snider of R Street Institute, and Patrick Purtill at Unify.US.

Read it here: https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/documents/2025-annual-report

The research is clear: awareness matters after records are sealed.

A recent study, “Automating Administrative Burden in Algorithmic Criminal Record Expungement,” published in Law & Society Review, dialed in on the barriers to record sealing for traditional petition-based systems, how automation can help make second chances more accessible, and why automation must be paired with awareness.

Automation opens the door, but awareness helps people walk through it. At The Clean Slate Initiative, this is exactly where the work is focused: ensuring that strong policies are paired with strong implementation, so people can fully benefit from the second chance they’ve earned.

Source: Lageson, Adams & Chen, Law & Society Review

Read the full study: https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/updates/unlocking-the-full-promise-of-clean-slate-new-research-on-automation-and-opportunity