Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts

Clean Slate

Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts is co-coordinator of Clean Slate Massachusetts, a statewide coalition working to pass legislation that would ensure that people who were formerly involved in the criminal legal system will get a “clean slate” by having their criminal record (CORI) automatically sealed when they are eligible.

Jacqueline Velez, Brother Al Hubert, and Andrea Freeman smiling.

One In Three

Nearly one third of the people in the United States has an arrest or conviction record that limits their ability to work, obtain housing, and engage in civic life. Long-term limitations like these often result in poor health outcomes and exacerbate health inequities—especially among BIPOC communities. While most states have a way to seal criminal records after specific waiting periods, less than 10% of people do that within five years of becoming eligible, due to a variety of barriers. Massachusetts is one of the states that still has a complicated, cumbersome, and slow “petition-based” system for sealing criminal offense record information (CORIs), so PHIWM is working to change that.

Change that Law

As a co-chair of the statewide Clean Slate MA coalition, we are dedicated to passing a state law that would require the MA Commissioner of Probation to automatically seal criminal and juvenile records after the applicable waiting periods without anyone having to file of a petition, which often requires a lawyer. According to the national organization, Clean Slate Initiative, at least 460,000 people in Massachusetts would benefit from this law change.

Coalition Building

More Information

Andrea Freeman

Contact Andrea Freeman to learn more and get involved.

Clean Slate Massachusetts logo

Local Partners

  • Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA)
  • New North Citizen’s Council

Statewide Partners

  • Fountain Fund
  • Greater Boston Legal Services
  • New England United 4 Justice
  • Progressive Massachusetts
  • Urban League of Massachusetts

National Partners

  • Clean Slate Initiative
  • Code for America
  • Responsible Business for Justice Initiative (RBIJ)

THE BACKSTORY

In 2017 the PHIWM-led Live Well Springfield coalition began working to make the city more “age-friendly.” In the course of that work, we learned from older adults—mostly older men of color—that criminal offender record information (CORIs) limited their access to safe and affordable housing. This led us to conduct a health impact assessment (HIA) with the help of an Advisory Committee and Resident Advisors. In 2021 we published Healthy Aging with a Criminal Record in Hampden County, MA: A Health Impact Assessment About the Use of CORIs in Housing Decisions. While conducting the HIA, we connected with Boston-based organizations—Justice 4 Housing (J4H) and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) who had started a coalition to pass “second chance” legislation that would automatically seal CORIs. We joined the “Second Chance Coalition” and then, in 2023, this statewide coalition joined forces with the Clean Slate Initiative—a national organization with a vision to have clean slate laws in every state

Group gathered outside holding signs about auto-sealing CORIs, social justice,
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