The Clean Slate Clearinghouse

Tools to help you understand record clearance policies in your state

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Roughly 70 million adults in the U.S. have a criminal record. Additionally, more than one million youth are charged with crimes and acquire juvenile court records each year. Criminal record clearance enables a person’s criminal history information to be removed from easy public access, most often with the goal of improving employment and other outcomes for the affected person. The Clean Slate Clearinghouse provides people with criminal records, legal service providers, and state policymakers with information on juvenile and adult criminal record clearance policies in all U.S. states and territories.

The Clean Slate Clearinghouse helps support criminal record clearance around the country by:

Providing people with criminal records and non-legal service providers with accurate, up-to-date information on record clearance and mitigation as well as contact information for legal service providers;
Creating a community of practice that supports legal service providers currently engaged in record clearance work and gives the tools and resources needed to support new legal service providers; and
Giving policymakers the information needed to compare their state’s record clearance policies to the national and regional landscapes and to learn about best practices.

Clean Slate News & Analysis

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Webinar: Sealing Criminal Records Through Automated Computer Queries

April 18, 2018

Hosted by the Clean Slate Clearinghouse with funding support from the U.S.

Seeking New Perspective, Interview Series Gives Firsthand Look at Criminal Record Clearance Experiences

March 14, 2018

For the Record is produced by the Clean Slate Clearinghouse and features…

National Reentry Resource Center Launches Clean Slate Clearinghouse

April 8, 2019

Recently, the National Reentry Resource Center, with funding support from the U.S.…

Clearing a Path, from Conviction to Employment

October 1, 2016

After a conviction, people often face severe, unanticipated penalties beyond the court’s…

For the Record: Candid Conversations about Criminal Record Clearance—Episode 3, Bettie Kirkland

August 6, 2018

Bettie Kirkland, the executive director of Project Return in Nashville, joins For…

For the Record: A Podcast Featuring Candid Conversations about Criminal Record Clearance—Episode 1, Khalil Cumberbatch

March 6, 2018

The inaugural episode of For the Record features an interview with criminal…

For the Record: Candid Conversations about Criminal Record Clearance—Episode 2, Esta Bigler

June 4, 2018

Esta Bigler, the director of the Cornell University Industrial and Labor Relations…

Just a few decades ago, a criminal record was a piece of paper in a dusty drawer at the courthouse. Now, a record is a digital scarlet letter that follows an individual throughout their public and private life, denying opportunities and stunting personal and professional growth.

Eric Hutchings

State Representative, Utah

Key Staff

Chidi Umez-Rowley

Former Deputy Program Director, Corrections and Reentry

Chidi Umez provided direction and support for projects that reduce policy barriers to economic opportunity for people with criminal records. Projects in this portfolio addressed the impact of a criminal record on job participation, occupational licensing, and business engagement. Prior

Joshua Gaines

Deputy Program Director, Corrections and Reentry

Josh Gaines focuses on issues involving the collateral consequences of criminal conviction, barriers to work, and relief from the long-term impacts of a criminal record. In addition to providing direct technical assistance to state leaders and other stakeholders working to

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safely expand opportunities for workers with criminal histories, he also oversees the CSG Justice Center's Fair Chance Occupational Licensing Project and the National Reentry Resource Center's Clean Slate Clearinghouse and National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction. Josh received his BA from North Carolina State University and his JD from the Washington College of Law at American University.