Whitewashing Criminal History is Wrong

Society loves a comeback. We give second chances and always root for those who have been knocked down to get up, dust themselves off, and go on to succeed. But we’re also a nation of accountability and laws. The Clean Slate bill doesn’t give second chances to convicted criminals.

It whitewashes their history, allowing violent felons to walk the streets with no record of their conviction after seven years. Our law enforcement investigators can’t do their jobs if felons have their records sealed after seven years and misdemeanor offenses are sealed after three years.

Without access to these records, investigators will have no way to provide the proper oversight for repeat offenders. Those criminals will be allowed to live their lives without any accountability for their previous actions. And while it does make exceptions for those already on the sex offender list, it doesn’t differentiate between other violent crimes or place a limit on the number of offenses that a criminal can have expunged. Victims and their families are continually slapped in the face by this type of legislation, which would subject them to a reality in which their perpetrator walks the streets with impunity after only a few years.

We can’t become a society that brushes off violent crimes like they never happened. We’re all for second chances. But don’t allow a cause for second chances to become a gateway to a lawless society, where criminals walk the streets with no fear of being identified for their previous crimes.