BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Clean Slate Act, which automatically seals most criminal records if people stay out of trouble for a certain amount of time, went into effect in New York State this week.
Dale Lockwood, 44, knows what a gift it is to have a second chance. We spoke to him earlier this week. You can watch our previous report below and read more here.
On Friday, the City of Buffalo and the University at Buffalo Law School teamed up with other legal and social justice groups to help people understand the new law.
Here's how it works:
People with misdemeanor convictions on their records will have those records sealed in most cases after three years if they don’t get arrested again. People with felonies will have those convictions sealed after eight years.
The Clean Slate Act doesn't apply to more serious crimes such as homicides and sexual crimes. Also, records will be available to check for employers of jobs involving children, law enforcement and banking.
“This will serve to give them a second opportunity at better housing, at better education, at better employment and truly a better future for themselves and their families, which will very likely break generational curses that many of them have experienced,” said Rashied McDuffie, deputy mayor of operations with the City of Buffalo.
Here’s a link to the New York State court system’s explanation of how the Clean Slate Act works: https://www.nycourts.gov/FORMS/criminal-record-sealing.shtml
