The Clean Slate Act, signed into law Jan. 16, will automate Illinois’ record-sealing process for people with certain non-violent convictions after a waiting period.
The legislation will help broaden job, housing and education opportunities for those eligible for the record sealing.
“For too long, we have been shutting doors for Illinoisans coming home from incarceration after serving their time for non-violent offenses,” wrote Gov. JB Pritzker in a press release. “This bipartisan legislation is about empowering eligible people who seek a second chance to make their own choices about their future, giving them the best opportunity to come back home and get themselves on the right path.”
In Illinois, an estimated $4.7 billion in annual earnings is lost because of convictions that could be sealed but are not, according to a study by SSRN. Around 2.2 million Illinois residents may qualify for the new record-sealing process.
“I honestly think 100% of those (eligible) folks will benefit,” said Paul Haidle, Cabrini Green Legal Aid’s director of strategic advocacy.
Individuals with serious or violent convictions — including but not limited to murder, domestic battery and sex crimes — will not qualify. Some convictions, like Class X felonies, are ineligible for automatic sealing but may be petitioned.
Those with misdemeanors must complete a two-year waiting period after their sentence to be eligible for the sealing. For felonies, a three-year waiting period is necessary. Then, the state will automatically seal the qualifying individual’s record.
The act will take effect June 1. However, with the estimated 154-year long backlog of people eligible for record sealing under the previous law, the act implements phases for the new process. Sealing a record may take until 2034, depending on when the record was created.
“This legislation will massively change the lives of people who were incarcerated on minor convictions,” wrote Illinois Rep. Carol Ammons, D-103, in a press release. “Everyone deserves a second chance, and this law provides a second chance through job, housing, and educational opportunities by simply revamping an antiquated system, cutting the number of hoops formerly incarcerated people have to jump through.”
Ammons is also helping sponsor a free Criminal Records Summit April 18 at Parkland College to aid people with criminal records to understand their opportunities.
Distinct from the bill’s sponsors, CGLA is one of the organizations that helped drive the bill forward, alongside others such as Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, LIVE FREE Illinois and Workers Center for Racial Justice.
“This bill was truly led by people with records for people with records,” Haidle said. “Some of those (collaborating) organizations are led completely by people with records, and they’ve been doing the work for these last five years to get this bill across the finish line.”
According to Haidle, those with criminal records experience “permanent punishments” that affect their quality of life long after their sentence is served. In Illinois, there are more than 1,300 rules and laws that pose restrictions on people with criminal records.
These punishments include limited access to jobs, housing and education, but there can be impacts in all areas of life.
“Our help desk has been open for 20 years now,” Haidle said. “We’ve served over 82,000 people. Employment and housing are by far the biggest barriers.”
Four out of five landlords and nine out 10 employers conduct background checks, according to Clean Slate Illinois. Misdemeanors typically get flagged in background checks. Now, if an individual’s records are sealed, the crime would not show up on the background check unless done through a state or federally regulated agency.
“We see it a lot here in Chicago, where there’s not a lot of affordable housing, so landlords could be pretty particular about who they want in their units,” Haidle said. “That could make it incredibly difficult if anybody has a conviction on their background to find good, safe, affordable housing.”
Education can also be difficult to acquire with a criminal record. For the University, a student must first be accepted, then disclose their criminal record. A committee reviews the candidate’s compatibility with their academic program and the possible effects on campus safety. However, students do not need to disclose sealed records, meaning there would be no impact on their admission process.
Record sealing differs from expungement. Sealing hides records from the public, whereas expungement totally destroys the record. With the new law in place, individuals must still petition for an expungement.
According to an estimate, only 10% of those eligible for record-sealing prior to the new act carried out the process. Unlike other similar previously proposed legislation, the act does not require eligible people to pass a drug test, aiming to increase the percentage of people getting their records sealed.
Some Illinois senators, like Sen. Steve McClure, R-54, expressed concern over the removal of the drug screening.
“You’re trying to rehabilitate people,” McClure said to Capitol News Illinois. “You’re trying to show that they’re on the right path, but you’re also saying that you don’t want them to prove that they can’t stay clean for 48 hours?”
Others disagree on the necessity for the testing.
“No longer having to submit a drug test is a positive step forward,” Haidle said. “That was yet another barrier, not only having to pass a drug test, but actually having to obtain and pay for a drug test … If you’re not working, then it’s another $25 or $40 to get a drug test.”
With the bill officially passed, CGLA expects much of their work involving record sealing to disappear.
“We want to basically put ourselves out of business,” Haidle said. “That ought to be the goal of a non-profit … If you’re good at changing things, you no longer are needed.”
The post Illinois Clean Slate Act automates record-sealing process appeared first on The Daily Illini.
Feeds,News,Region: Champaign,College
via The Daily Illini https://ift.tt/bfXYRGy
February 7, 2026 at 12:26PM
Working for Illinois Caucus 
Leave a comment