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The law creates expunction opportunities for various misdemeanors and a few lower-level felonies.

About The Law

Connecticut’s Public Act No. 21-32, which is also known as a “Clean Slate Law” was signed by Governor Ned Lamont in June 2021. It went into effect on January 1, 2023.

The law creates expunction opportunities for certain misdemeanors after seven years have passed since the “most recent judgment of conviction of a classified or unclassified misdemeanor offense.” It also allows for the expungement of non-violent class D or E felonies after ten years.

Thousands of residents are expected to benefit from this bill over time, but it is not known how long the expungement process will take. Read the bill.

Exceptions

Some criminal records are not eligible for expunction. A few include:

• Sexual offenses.
• Family-related violence.
• Crimes committed with firearms.
• Class A, B or C felonies.

Because of this, people who have multiple convictions might be able to have some, but not all of them expunged.

Why The Law Was Implemented

According to Connecticut’s Clean Slate Act website, expunging a record used to be “burdensome, costly, bureaucratic, and subjective.” This law is intended to create a smoother, easier process.

The site also notes that the law is meant to help with social justice, public safety and the economy. It says:

• Black people are 9.4x more likely than white people to be incarcerated, and Latinx people are 3.9x more likely to be incarcerated than white people. The effects of systemic racism on incarceration will persist for decades without Clean Slate.
• When people’s records are erased, they become stable citizens with access to jobs, housing, and higher education. As a result, the tendency to reoffend is dramatically reduced. This makes everyone safer.
• An estimated 200-300,000 people in Connecticut will benefit once it is fully implemented with greater access to jobs, housing, educational programs, professional licenses, and more.

What Employers Should Know

Employers in Connecticut should be aware that the Clean Slate Law is now active and understand that many residents will have their criminal convictions expunged. When that happens, those records are no longer available to the public. They cannot be used to make employment or other decisions about consumers.

To help ensure they do not review records that have been sealed, hiring managers may want to consider working with an accredited Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA). A CRA takes reasonable steps to confirm the background checks they provide only contain current, accurate information. Employers rely on these reports to help them make informed decisions and maintain safe workplaces.

Running Background Checks

Numerous states, counties and cities have created Second Chance Laws like Public Act No. 21-32. In each case, employers are still strongly encouraged to run comprehensive background checks on potential employees, contractors and volunteers. Doing so demonstrates an organization is conducting due diligence and taking steps to make sure they do not bring on someone who might pose a risk to their business, customers or general public.

If you need background reports for employment purposes, please contact us. Our highly experienced team can help you customize screening packages based on your particular needs, applicable laws and industry regulations. We are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 5am to 6pm PT.