(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Illinoisans who have committed non-violent crimes can now qualify for a clean slate.
The Clean Slate Act, signed into law Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker, automatically seals records of certain non-violent crimes after a waiting period.
The House sponsor, State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria), says she could have used this, when she was beginning her political career – and a shoplifting rap from when she was eighteen came back to bite her.
“They spent over $1 million telling the entire community, taking the worst thing that I have ever done in my life and told the story of me. But that wasn’t me. But that’s what happens when people have convictions: they are judged by the worst moment in their lives as though that is who they are.”
Backers of the law reiterate that it’s only for non-violent offenders and does not add to the list of crimes already eligible for sealing.
The law is billed as an economic boon, as more people will be eligible for good jobs.
