ALBANY, New York (WWNY) – New Yorkers are now eligible to have their criminal records sealed – hidden from employers, from landlords and from the public. It’s all because of the Clean Slate Act, which went into effect around the state on Saturday.
Excluding sex offenders, murderers, and non-drug Class A felonies, misdemeanor records are sealed for 3 years after sentencing and felony records for 8 years.
North Country state lawmakers are worried about scenarios that could soon come of this act.
“Wouldn’t you want to know the criminal history of someone watching your children? If you’re a business owner and you’re entrusting an employee to make bank deposits for you or handle your business cash, your livelihood, wouldn’t you want to know their criminal background,” said Senator Dan Stec (R. – 45th District).
Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay agrees and says this act should not have been signed.
“I just think it reflects on sort of the soft-on-crime mentality that the Albany Democrats have had now for some number of years, whether it’s bail reform, parole reform, raise the age, and now the sealing of criminal records,” said Barclay (R. – 120th District).
Community Service Society, an organization in New York City that supported the act, has a different scenario in mind than Stec or Barclay.
“If you have a record, if you’re working, you don’t want to find a better job because you know you’re going to have to go back into your past and explain what happened when that was a long time ago. It discourages people from getting better work and for the same reason it sometimes discourages people from getting work at all,” said Paul Keefe, a member of Community Service Society.
Keefe says the government has 3 years to find people who qualify for the act and subsequently wipe each person’s slate clean.