Eligibility was narrow prior to recent legislation people with felony offenses were eligible to petition the court if they had no more than two misdemeanors and five years had passed from their sentencing. Prescott says the reason for the low uptake of expungements is that the process is too complicated and long.
Their research showed the rate at which people with convictions eligible for expungement were getting their records cleared was just 6.5 percent within the first five years of being eligible for one. The duo looked at data provided by the Michigan State Police – with personal information removed - for people who received expungements since 2014, along, with a larger cohort who had not. Support for automatic expungements was bolstered by research by JJ Prescott, a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School, and Sonja Starr, a professor of law and criminology at the University of Chicago Law School. How long do you have to pay for something you did over 10 years ago?” she asks. “As people of faith we’re all about second chances. She recalls one man who testified in favor of the law that he hadn’t been incarcerated for ten years, but still had trouble finding work due to prior convictions. She was troubled by the system’s failure to provide redemption to people who’ve completed their sentences. Eileen Hayes is executive director of Michigan Faith In Action, a faith-based non-profit that advocated for the legislation. Now advocates hope the law will allow people to fully participate in society without the shame or stigma of a criminal record. “Once they’ve seen up close they’re much more interested in trying to change these laws.” “So many people have been directly impacted,” Hoe says. The law was supported by a bipartisan coalition that included conservative groups like American Conservative Union and Americans for Prosperity, a sign that the criminal justice system has impacted people across the political spectrum, according to Joshua Hoe, policy analyst for the non-profit Safe & Just Michigan, which supported the legislation.
#MICHIGAN CLEAN SLATE LAW PROFESSIONAL#
In Michigan, people with convictions are even required to self-report criminal records to the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs when applying for most types of professional licenses, including barber’s and beautician licenses.
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