- More than 1.5 million convictions have been automatically expunged under Michigan’s Clean Slate Act
- The law clears misdemeanor convictions after seven years and felonies after 10
- Advocates say people can better find jobs, housing once criminal records are cleared
Michigan has cleared nearly 1.6 million criminal convictions under an automatic expungement process that began three years ago, according to new state data.
It’s not known exactly how many Michiganders have benefited from the “clean slate” initiative — some people had multiple convictions set aside — but advocates say it’s helped open doors to jobs, housing and a fresh start for numerous people who otherwise faced lifelong barriers.
“Sometimes we encounter people … in their 60s or 70s who lived the majority of their lives with a conviction on their record and they now have this opportunity to have this conviction removed,” said Kamau Sandiford, clean slate program manager for Safe and Just Michigan, a criminal justice reform nonprofit…