“My criminal record doesn’t reflect who I am anymore.“
This sentiment overwhelmingly topped the list of reasons why expungement study participants wanted to clear their record that it seemed plausible to predict that clearing one’s criminal record would lead to higher levels of life satisfaction. Likewise, it did not seem far-fetched to assume individuals without a criminal record would fare better in obtaining housing than those with one. In both cases though, the A2J Lab and Kansas Legal Services found surprising results to refute these assumptions.
Read the corresponding blog post.
Speakers:
- Renee Danser, Associate Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
- Patricia Gansert, Assistant Data Analyst, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
- Jim Greiner, Honorable S. William Green Professor of Public Law at Harvard Law School; Faculty Director of the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
- Ryan Halen, Data Analyst, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
- Marilyn Harp, Former Executive Director, Kansas Legal Services (retired)
Resources mentioned:
- Kansas Legal Services
- Kansas Department of Labor
- Kansas Bureau of Investigation
- “Record-Clearing as a Rite of Passage to Engage in the Justice System”, Kansas Law Review
- “Criminal Justice Record Clearing: An Analysis from Two States”, North Dakota Law Review
- Proof Over Precedent Episode 34: Studying the Expungement Paradox, with J.J. Prescott and Sonja Starr
- Proof Over Precedent Episode 52: Study Exposes Complex Criminal Record Clearing Process
- Proof Over Precedent Episode 53: Expungement Expectations vs. Reality in Employment
Share feedback and relevant topics you would like the A2J Lab to discuss: a2jlab@law.harvard.edu
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Proof Over Precedent cover art by Courtney Chrystal