In May, I highlighted several bills the Illinois General Assembly was considering to reduce employment and licensing barriers for ex-offenders. Since then two bills have been sent to Governor Rauner. If he signs them, they will go into effect in January 2016.
Read MoreLast month a federal court judge in New York took the unusual step of expunging a federal conviction. The judge had sentenced the defendant 12 years earlier. What made the judge's decision unusual is that people who commit federal crimes don't ordinarily get to eliminate their criminal record.
Read MoreI’ve looked at hundreds of criminal records over the years. What I’ve discovered is that criminal court records contain errors. I know, we all made mistakes: dialed the wrong number, misspelled someone’s name. But when a court clerk doesn’t accurately record a judge’s ruling in a criminal case, it can have serious and long lasting consequences.
Read MoreToday, there is little information about you that can’t be found with the click of a mouse. What, then, is the benefit of expunging a criminal record? The answer to this question is going to depend on whether the arrest and subsequent court proceedings were covered by the media.
Read MoreWhenever you are taken you into custody by the police, an arrest record is created. It is a simple fact. And, just like an unwanted tattoo, an arrest record doesn’t go away unless you do something to remove it. Take the case of Ben, a college student. Ben got a summer internship with a financial services company. As is routine in this industry, Ben underwent a fingerprint criminal background check. His prints were sent to the FBI.
Read MoreAs of January 1, 2015, certain juvenile records will be automatically expunged by the Illinois State Police (ISP). This is a good news for teenagers who, at some point, will visit the police station -- and not on a school field trip. The new law acknowledges a sad truth: even a juvenile record can upend someone's job prospects years later.
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