The PennZone

Governor Tom Wolf participated in a virtual event today to mark the one-year anniversary of Clean Slate automatic record sealing in Pennsylvania. The governor joined a Zoom panel with legislators and advocates for the event sponsored by Community Legal Services, The Clean Slate Initiative, Justice Action Network and Center for American Progress.

"On this one-year anniversary of clean slate implementation, we celebrate the countless lives this law has changed all across the commonwealth," Gov. Wolf said. "I'm proud that Pennsylvania is leading the way in second chances and excited to see our Clean Slate law serve as a national model for commonsense, bipartisan criminal justice reforms."

In 2018, Pennsylvania was the first in the nation to enact Clean Slate legislation, which expands criminal record sealing to include more types of offenses, including some first-degree misdemeanors, which can be sealed by filing petitions.

More on The PennZone

• Ashikaga Flower Park's "Great Wisteria Festival 2026"
• Washington County PA Real Estate is Changing Here's What Homeowners Need to Know Before Selling
• Architect of Neurodiversity Will Lead the First U.S. Team of Autistic Children to the "Genius Cup" in Hiroshima, Japan, in 2027
• Deborah E. Jones Introduces Emotional Sovereignty, a Powerful New Book on Emotional Mastery, Resilience, and Intentional Living
• New Research Identifies "The Busy Effect": 89% of Americans Want a Laid-Back Vacation — Only 15% Actually Achieve It

The law also created an automated computer process to seal arrests that did not result in convictions within 60 days, summary convictions after 10 years, and some second and third-degree misdemeanor convictions if there are no subsequent misdemeanor or felony convictions for a period of 10 years after the time of conviction. The automatic sealing provision went into effect on June 28, 2019.

During its first year of implementation, Clean Slate in Pennsylvania has automatically sealed 35 million records.

The virtual panel, moderated by Justice Action Network president and executive director Holly Harris, focused on the bipartisan approach of Clean Slate and additional criminal justice reforms the state has enacted as well as proposed legislation that expand and eliminate obstacles for Clean Slate that could increase the number of cases automatically sealed.

More on The PennZone

• Alchemy 43 Appoints Shane Smith as CEO to Drive Operational Performance and Scalable Growth
• Best Spiritual Healing, Meditation & Retreats in Sedona — Rise Meditation Helps You Find and Book Transformational Experiences
• $16 Billion Market by 2034 in Underwater Drones Presents Huge Opportunity for AI-Powered Autonomous Vehicle Serving Defense & Commercial Customers
• Appliance EMT Named Among Jacksonville's Top 3 Appliance Repair Companies by ThreeBestRated®
• The Scratch-Off Dead Zone - is your state lottery failing?

Here are the Clean Slate numbers-to-date in Pennsylvania:

• 36,735 Individuals have had Clean Slate applied to a misdemeanor conviction.
• 1,148,696 Individuals have had Clean Slate applied to their record. That includes misdemeanor convictions, summary convictions and non-conviction dispositions.
• 2,062,108 offense tracking numbers have had Clean Slate applied to that arrest. That includes misdemeanor convictions, summary convictions and non-conviction dispositions.

For more information on Clean Slate or to seek help in accessing the program, visit mycleanslatepa.com.

SHARE Email Facebook Twitter

Filed Under: Government, State

---

Show All News | Disclaimer | Report Violation