Jones Backs Measure Automatically Sealing Records for Certain Prior Offenses, Giving Clean Slate for Qualifying Individuals

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, backed the Clean Slate Act on Friday, creating an automatic sealing process for certain qualifying, formerly-incarcerated individuals.

;For formerly-incarcerated individuals, it’s all too common that their time in a correctional facility continues to be a barrier to employment, housing and certain services – even if they have lived an upstanding life by every other measure,” Jones said. “By automatically sealing records of certain offenses, we can open up more economic opportunities for these individuals, truly giving them the second chance they were owed when they completed their term of incarceration. When businesses – and certainly those formerly incarcerated – are struggling to fill vacancies and make ends meet, we need to be opening up opportunities, not closing them off.”

The Jones-backed Senate Bill 1784 transitions the sealing of certain criminal and petty offense records to an automated process, away from one in which each former offender needs to file a petition.

Records eligible for automated sealing vary on offense. The legislation applies solely to sealing records, not expunging them. This allows law enforcement and prosecutors to access records, if necessary, in the future.

Offenses that are excluded from ISP’s automated sealing include, but are not limited to: sex offenses, crimes of bodily harm and murder and those involving no contact orders. Furthermore, those currently serving a sentence, on probation or have pending charges are ineligible for automated sealing.

The bipartisan Senate Bill 1784 now returns to the Senate for consideration.