by Karla Ciaglo CT Newsjunkie
MIDDLETOWN, CT — Connecticut has automatically erased more than 150,000 criminal records under the state’s Clean Slate law, but many of the people whose convictions were wiped away may not know it.
The state currently has no system to notify residents when their records are cleared, meaning thousands may still be telling employers, landlords and lenders about criminal convictions that legally no longer exist.
Advocates note that the gap in awareness could delay or even prevent people from benefiting from Clean Slate, one of the state’s most significant criminal justice reforms intended to expand access to jobs and housing for people with older convictions.
Phillip Kent Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CT Newsjunkie
“The benefits of Clean Slate will be delayed, if not totally denied, for people who just don’t understand that their record may have been cleared,” said Phil Kent, an attorney and co-chair of the criminal legal reform team at Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut.
State officials say they are working to develop a notification system and expect it to be operational later this year, though they refused to commit to a specific timeline.
Connecticut’s Clean Slate law, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont in 2021, was originally set to take effect in 2022. The bill passed in 2021 after the original proposal faced pushback from house democrats and was narrowed in scope through a separate bill.
Implementation was further delayed after the legislature’s Judiciary Committee requested clarification on how records would be purged in 2022.
In 2024, the state hired iLab Consultants, an outside software quality assurance company, to help fix the data issues after outdated computer systems and data issues contributed to further delays in implementation. In October 2025, the state resumed the automatic erasures.
The law automatically erases most misdemeanor convictions after seven years and certain low-level felony convictions after 10 years if the person has completed their sentence and remained conviction-free.
Serious crimes — including family violence offenses, sex crimes, weapons offenses and certain assaults — are exempt from erasure under the act. The law applies to convictions on or after Jan. 1, 2000. People with older qualifying offenses must petition the court separately to have their records erased.
DESPP Commissioner Ronnell Higgins speaks during a news conference about Connecticut’s Clean Slate Law. Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CT Newsjunkie
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Ronnell Higgins described the effort as one of the most complex technology projects the state has attempted.
“We’ve become somewhat of a national model,” he said. “Eliminating low-level convictions and opening the door to real second chances at better housing and better opportunities in education is something that we’re proud of.”
DESPP spent about $5.8 million implementing the system in 2024 and is budgeted to spend an additional $10.8 million through 2026.
Advocates say the impact of the law extends far beyond legal records.
A Bristol resident and community leader who identified herself as Miss. Smith said she spent years applying for jobs while carrying a criminal conviction that followed her long after she had rebuilt her life.
Chantel Smith speaks at a news conference about Connecticut’s Clean Slate Law. Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CT Newsjunkie
Smith said she originally began pursuing a pardon before learning that the Clean Slate process could clear her record automatically.
“I’ve been carrying this record for years — like a weight on your chest that never lets up,” Smith said.
When she learned the conviction had been erased, the change was difficult to process.
“I carried it for so long it had started to feel like me,” she said. “Like that’s just who I was. A woman with a record.”
Smith said she recently attended a job interview without the burden of explaining her past conviction for the first time in years.
“Clean Slate didn’t just clear my record,” she said. “It gave me back my dignity. It gave me back my future.”
Dr. Sheena Meade, chief executive officer of the national Clean Slate Initiative, said 13 states across the country have adopted similar policies, with Illinois the most recent.
She said the movement has been driven by years of organizing and persistence from advocates who believe second chances are worth fighting for.
“My real goal is to make sure those laws are actually implemented as they were intended,” she said. “Even today, too many people are still living as opportunities pass them by simply because they don’t know freedom is possible.”
Nationally, more than 18 million people are expected to have records fully or partially cleared through similar policies.
Supporters say the reform is particularly important in addressing longstanding disparities in the criminal justice system.
Those with records in Connecticut can find information regarding eligibility by visiting the Clean Slate Connecticut Website.