ALL RIGHT SO THERE'S A NEW BILL
MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH NEW YORK
STATE AND IT'S AIMING TO GIVE
THOSE WHO HAVE FINISHED SERVING
THERE, I'M A CLEAN SLATE.
THE APP WILL AUTOMATICALLY
CLEAR NEW YORKERS CRIMINAL
RECORD ONCE THEY BECOME
ELIGIBLE, MAKING IT EASIER
EASIER FOR THOSE CONVICTED OF
CRIME TO MOVE FORWARD WITH
THEIR LIVES. JOINING US NOW IS
DEMOCRATIC NEW YORK STATE
SENATOR ZONE OR MIREE
SENATOR THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE I WANT TO START WITH
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO SPONSOR
THE CLEAN SLATE ACT.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH LET ME JUST
SAY THAT THEIR 2 POINT
3 MILLION NEW YORKERS THAT HAVE
CONVICTION RECORDS. ANY OF
THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT IN MY
DISTRICT I'M GOING TO TALK
ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND WHAT'S
IMPORTANT FOR ECONOMIC
RECOVERY. BEING ABLE TO MOVE ON
SOME YOUR CONVICTION AFTER
SERVING TIME I THINK MEETING
WITH FAT-FREE I'S NOT JUST THE
MORALLY RIGHT THING TO DO BUT
IT MAKES THE MOST ECONOMIC
SENSE AND THAT'S WHY I THOUGHT
IT WAS IMPORTANT TO INTRODUCE
THIS BILL IT'S A REALLY LOUD
FOR EVERYONE TO BE A PART OF
OUTCOME.
>> CAN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT SORT
OF CRIME RECORDS WOULD BE CLEAR
WHAT SORT OF CRIMES WITH NO
LONGER SHOW HERE ARE WE TALKING
EXTRA
VIOLENT CRIME LIKE MURDER AND
AND YOU KNOW SEXUAL OFFENSES OR
ARE THERE CERTAIN CRIMES.
>> SO MOST MISDEMEANORS THAT
MOST FELONIES WHAT BE COVERED
UNDER
THIS PROCESS. I KNOW THAT IT IS
A 2 STEP
PROCESS FIRST. YOU LOOK BE THE
RECIPIENT OF AUTOMATIC SEALING
AFTER ONE OR 3 YEARS DEPENDING
ON WHETHER IT'S A MISDEMEANOR
OR FELONY AND THEN AFTER 5 OR 7
YEARS YOU COULD BE
AUTOMATICALLY EXPUNGED THAT
THOSE CONVICTIONS THERE ARE
PARTICULAR
CARVE OUTS. FOR PARTICULAR MOST
NOTABLY IF YOU HAVE TO REGISTER
ON THE SEX
OFFENDER REGISTRY. YOU CANNOT
BENEFIT FROM THIS. IF YOU HAVE
COMMITTED A CRIME THAT AS
A LIFETIME A LITTLE SENTENCE
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
PARTICIPATE IN
THIS PROGRAM AND IF YOU TRY TO
APPLY FOR CERTAIN JOBS THAT
REQUIRES FINGERPRINTING OR IF
YOU WANT TO BE A
POLICE OFFICER, YOU WOULD NOT
BE ALL BUT WHAT IF
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAM.
SO WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE
ARE CERTAIN CATEGORIES THAT
HAVE SOME MORE SENSITIVITY BUT
WE BELIEVE THAT THE
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN
SENTENCED CONVICTED
WE SERVED THEIR TIME SHOULD BE
ABLE TO MOVE ALL OF THE LINES.
>> YOU KNOW WITH THAT THERE IS
NO QUESTION IS BILL HAS FACED
SOME DECENT AMOUNT OF CRITICISM
FOR SOME
BEING CONCERNED. THAT IT'S
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO NOT
KNOW IF THERE'S A VIOLENT
OFFENDER OUT THERE WHO COULD BE
YOU KNOW WORKING IN THE SAND
SPACES YOU. WHAT IS YOUR
RESPONSE TO THAT KIND OF
CRITICISM.
>> I'D SAY THAT THIS BILL IS A
PUBLIC SAFETY BILL I HAVE
WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE
LEADERS OF MY COMMUNITY TO
FIGHT CRIME
AND VIOLENCE IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD TO WHAT I TALKED
TO INDIVIDUALS ON THE STREET
ALL WHO WERE FORMERLY OR
CURRENTLY INVOLVED THAT TYPE OF
ACTIVITY. THEY TELL ME SENATOR
WHAT WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL FOR
ME IS A JOB. WHAT WOULD BE MOST
HELPFUL FOR ME IS ACCESS TO
HOUSING, I WOULD LOVE TO
GO BACK THE SCHOOL BUT ALL OF
THOSE THINGS ARE PREVENTED
BECAUSE THEIR CONVICTIONS THAT
THAT'S DOING SO WELL SO I
BELIEVE THAT THIS ISN'T JUST A
MORALLY. ALL RIGHT BILL OR
ECONOMIC THIS OUT BILL BUT THIS
IS A PUBLIC SAFETY BILLS ONE.
>> IS THERE ANY DATA SUPPORTING
SOME OF.
THAT BELIEF YOU KNOW BEHIND
THIS BILL RIGHT BECAUSE WE KNOW
THE RECIDIVISM RATE IN THIS
COUNTRY IS RELATIVELY HIGH.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND WE DO
KNOW THAT THOSE WHO WORK LOOK
AFTER YOU KNOW COMING HOME FROM
FROM SERVING THEIR TIME HAVE A
LOWER
RECIDIVISM RATE DO YOU HAVE ANY
STRONGER DATA THAT YOU'RE
SUPPORTING WITH A BILL LIKE
THIS. IT IS CONTROVERSIAL.
>> ONE OF THE BIGGEST
RESTICTIONS TO INSTITUTE.
REGIME SIMILAR TO THIS IS GOING
TO GET THERE WAS JUST A STUDY
BY 2 LAW PROFESSORS PUBLISHED
SAID HARPER JOURNAL LOOK AT THE
RESET OF THE SPECIFIC
BUSINESS RATES INDIVIDUALS WHO
HAD THEIR RECORD IT SET ASIDE
OR SEALED OR EXPUNGED
AND THEY FOUND THAT THERE IS
THAT THERE'S A PLACE WHERE
ACTUALLY LOWER THAN THE GENERAL
POPULATION, THEY ALSO
LEARN MORE OVER THEIR CAREERS
THAT INDIVIDUALS
WITH THAT I BENEFITED FROM THE
PROGRAM SO THIS ISN'T JUST
ANECDOTES IT BASED ON THE
MOTION STUDIES SHOW THAT IF WE
GIVE PEOPLE A SECOND CHANCE AND
REMEMBER THIS HAS TO BE
SUBSEQUENT TO THEM BEING
PRIVATELY AFTER THAT. SECONDS
IF YOU GIVE THEM A SECOND
CHANCE THEY'RE GOING TO DO THE
RIGHT THING.
>> YOU KNOW, WE KNOW MAJOR
COMPANY LIKE JP MORGAN CHASE
FOR EXAMPLE. IS IS SHOWING
SUPPORT UNIT FOR THIS BILL DO
YOU THINK THAT LARGER COMPANIES
ARE BECOMING MORE OPEN TO
THE IDEA OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS
OR YOU KNOW HIRING PEOPLE WITH
A CRIMINAL RECORD.
>> YOU KNOW IT IS A INTERESTING
CONVERSATION TO
HAVE WITH SMALL AND LARGE
BUSINESSES BECAUSE THAT WE'RE
AT IT, I'M NOW WE ARE LOOKING
TO FOLKS TO ENTER THE
WORKFORCE, WE'RE TRYING TO
RECOVER FROM ONE OF THE WORST
MIX WE HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED
AND WE NEED AS MANY PEOPLE
ENGAGED I KIND OF THESE
POSSIBLE I THINK THAT'S WHY
WE'RE SEEING FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS LIKE JP
MORGAN CHASE OR FOLKS IN THE
LABEL'S SUPPORT THIS BILL
BECAUSE THEY WANT SUPPORTERS TO
BE ENGAGED AND WANT THAT
TO BE ABLE TO MOVE ON EVEN IF
THEY HAD ACTION.
>> LAST QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU
CUZ I'M MONEY UP AGAINST A TIME
WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR THIS
BILL TO POTENTIALLY BECOME
REALITY IN THE STATE.
>> WHAT WE HAVE 2 WEEKS LEFT IN
THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
AND SO WHILE THAT THE TIME
IS SHORT. BUT WE PASS THIS BILL
OUT OF THE CODES COMMITTEE OF
THE STATE SENATE AND SO THAT IS
THE FIRST STEP FOR IT TO GET TO
THE FLOOR FOR A VOTE.
I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE COULD GET
THERE AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE
DISCUSSIONS WITH ALL
STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED SO THAT
WE CAN GET THE BEST BILL THAT'S
THE WHAT THE IMPACT IT INTO
LAW.