Illinois criminal justice advocates tout ‘Clean Slate’ legislation as
‘economic boon’
[May 31, 2025]
By Reilly Cook and Medill Illinois News Bureau
SPRINGFIELD — Criminal justice reform advocates say legislation to seal
criminal records for certain nonviolent crimes, which passed Friday in
the House, would unlock economic opportunity for thousands of
Illinoisans.
The so-called Clean Slate Act has failed twice before, but activists see
renewed fiscal messaging as the key to reinvigorating the campaign. This
time, the bill’s sponsor points to a “diverse coalition of stakeholders”
and backing from business groups as signs Illinois could become the 13th
state to enact similar legislation.
“This is something I’ve worked on for six long years, and now we have
law enforcement and the business community — folks like the Illinois
Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Manufacturers Association —
all on board,” Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, said in an interview.
“Not as a neutral party, but they are proponents. They want to see this
bill passed.”
Like earlier proposals, Senate Bill 1784 would require law enforcement
agencies to automatically seal records for nonviolent criminal
convictions twice a year — Jan. 1 and July 1. The records would no
longer be public, although law enforcement and state’s attorneys would
retain access.
Gordon-Booth has sponsored Clean Slate legislation twice before — once
in 2021 and again in 2023 — but neither bill progressed past committee.
Just a few days before the 2025 legislative session concludes, she filed
it again. Within two days, it passed the House mostly along partisan
lines, and is headed for debate on the Senate floor.
The session ends at midnight Saturday, although the bill could still
pass after that deadline.
People convicted of certain violent offenses — including sex crimes
against minors, DUI, reckless driving and violent offenses that require
sex offender registration — would be ineligible to have their records
sealed.
“I want to make this very, very clear: Serious criminal records are not
eligible for automated sealing,” Gordon-Booth said during floor debate.
Gordon-Booth argued that conviction records trap formerly incarcerated
individuals in a state of perpetual punishment, eclipsing access to
employment, housing and educational opportunities. She said Clean Slate
would remove these barriers, helping system-impacted people reintegrate
into society instead of recidivating.
Paul Rothschild, managing director of operations for the Illinois
Coalition to End Permanent Punishment — a group that advocates for the
rights of people with criminal records — said he agrees. He said the
justice system fails to follow through on its own promise: Once someone
has served their time, they are entitled to a second chance.
“We believe that people should be accountable for the crimes that they
commit. But we also believe there is an implied covenant that when they
finish, they’re supposed to be returned to the world made whole, and
that covenant is not being kept by society. They’re being forever
subjugated in that lower caste, that lower class,” Rothschild said.
More than 3 million Illinoisans have arrest or conviction records, and
an estimated 921,000 people are eligible for “sealing relief” — but only
about 10% actually petition to have their records cleared, according to
statistics from Live Free Illinois, a grassroots organization aimed at
reforming the state criminal justice system and part of the Clean Slate
Illinois steering committee, which coordinates the campaign’s messaging
and advocacy efforts.
The bill would automate the process for individuals with nonviolent
convictions to have their records sealed, once they have served their
sentences, completed probation, and remained crime-free.
Many eligible individuals are deterred by steep fines, complex paperwork
and long waiting periods, Gordon-Booth said. The “burdensome” process
has contributed to massive court backlogs, according to Clean Slate
Illinois.
“It’s going to automate the process, so this way we don’t have to go
through that whole trying to get the paperwork, trying to go through all
the rigmarole,” said Chauncy Stockdale, who was formerly incarcerated
and is now a member of the Live Free Illinois Fellowship, a reentry
program that supports returning citizens.
The measure passed the House 81-28, with five Republicans joining
Democrats in support of the measure. No Democrats voted against the
bill.
During debate on the House floor, Minority Floor Leader Rep. Patrick
Windhorst, R-Metropolis, voiced concerns about the tentative $18 million
price tag, and whether the state is capable of fully funding the policy
in the years ahead, leaving counties to cover the cost.
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Speakers address Live Free Illinois advocates and supporters at a
rally on the steps of the Capitol building in Springfield on April
10.” (Capitol News Illinois photo by Reilly Cook)
“If this isn’t funded, we’re either going to be sending a large unfunded
mandate to our counties, or we’re making a promise to 2.1 million people
that will not be fulfilled without any funding,” he said.
Gordon-Booth detailed a three year “implementation ramp,” which would
give the state time to identify funding sources for the local circuit
clerks. She also said the Illinois State Police would absorb the initial
costs and emphasized the state’s commitment to supporting circuit clerks
in the rollout phase.
“It is our full intention to provide clerks with all that they need to
implement this,” she said. “We are not going to send an unfunded mandate
to our local governments.”
‘Workforce and economic policy’
On April 10, nearly 300 members, supporters and advocates from Live Free
Illinois chapters gathered in front of the Abraham Lincoln monument in
Springfield for Advocacy Day, calling on lawmakers to introduce the
Clean Slate Act.
Live Free Illinois — a faith-based nonprofit focused on ending gun
violence and mass incarceration — organizes Black congregations to push
for systemic change. The organization is involved in the broad-based
Clean Slate steering committee, which also includes the Fully Free
Campaign, the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, and
Impact for Equity.
The day before, Muslim leaders also advocated for Clean Slate
legislation at Illinois Muslim Action Day.
Beyond criminal justice reform, advocates pushed a new messaging angle
this year to usher the legislation across the finish line: Clean Slate
could boost Illinois’ economy.
As of April, Illinois has one of the highest unemployment rates in the
country, at 4.8% — above the national average of 4.2%, according to the
data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Jerika Richardson, senior vice president for equitable justice and
strategic initiatives at the National Urban League, said the act would
open doors for thousands of people who have been barred from work
because of background checks.
“There are so many employers and businesses across this country who are
struggling to find the workers that they need, and part of the reason is
because these records are barriers,” Richardson said. “If Illinois
passes the Clean Slate Act, you won’t have to worry about businesses
going to another state or leaving the country.”
An amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act, signed by Gov. JB
Pritzker in 2021, expanded legal protections for state workers by
prohibiting discrimination based on criminal convictions, in addition to
arrest records. Yet many say they continue to face employment hurdles
despite the law.
People with conviction histories earn an average of 25% less than those
with clean records — a gap the National Urban League says costs the
state billions of dollars in lost wages. According to a news release
from the National Urban League, the Clean Slate Act could generate more
than $4.7 billion in lost wages for Illinois, easing economic
disparities and addressing labor shortages.
Gordon-Booth echoed Richardson’s point, adding that her office
frequently hears from constituents who are missing out on life-changing
chances.
“I get calls from people saying, ‘I had an opportunity to get my dream
job, and it fell through because of something that I did when I was 18
or 19.’ And we’re talking about folks that are in their 30s,”
Gordon-Booth said. “They have not gone through the process of hiring a
lawyer, going through the court-mandated process, and folks are losing
out.”
Reilly Cook is a graduate student in journalism with
Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media,
Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill
Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News
Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is
funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation. |
