Illinois debates Clean Slate Act to seal or expunge eligible criminal records
'We talked to over 100 legislators and every one of us that we've talked to so far has been really excited about passing clean slate legislation,' said Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, the executive director of Live Free.
'The system is problematic,' she continued. 'If everyone who was eligible to have their records sealed went down to the courthouse, it will take 154 years for them to actually seal all of those cases because of the backlog.'
Advocates for the Clean Slate Initiative say that a criminal record creates barriers to employment, housing, and other opportunities.
The plan would automate the process, automatically clearing an offender's record once they become eligible for relief.
Rev. Violet Johnicker, pastor of Brooke Road United Methodist Church, said, 'So, people think, 'oh, well, they've served their time. Why don't they just go get a job?' Because we unfortunately, as a society, and particularly Illinois, continue to place obstacles in the way of those folks who are working to better themselves and be meaningful, doing good contributions back to society So we want to remove those barriers and get themselves back on their feet.'
The Clean Slate Act has been passed in 12 states.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
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"The 10 days between the deadline and the start of the new schedules is the bare minimum that we need to complete the multitude of tasks required to ensure that we can safely and efficiently transition service to new timetables," Sauer said in a recent news conference announcing the reduced schedules. Barring any last-minute deal, which seems unlikely, these cuts will likely start taking effect. Lawmakers on both sides have said they understand mass transit is important and they want to work toward a deal. But as of Thursday, what that deal looks like and where they go from here — with no bill on the table that can pass both chambers — is unclear. It's also unclear when the Pennsylvania House and Senate will be back in Harrisburg to discuss mass transit or the budget overall. These cuts would happen in two phases, with the first happening Aug. 24 and the second in January 2026. Sauer and other officials have warned that major service cuts would be the start of a "transit death spiral," where service cuts and fare increases result in fewer people using the system and paying fares, reducing revenue and necessitating further cuts. Sauer said Wednesday if funding comes through during the 10-day transition phase to reduced service, SEPTA would do its best to reverse the cuts quickly and have as minimal an impact on riders as possible. "We've been treating this as if it was an inevitability for months, to make sure when we get to this point, everything is in line to weather the storm, to blunt the impact on our customers as much as possible," assistant communications director Lex Powers said. A PDF of how each bus, train and trolley route will be impacted is available here on SEPTA's website, but here is a quick summary of the cuts that will take effect in August. 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Forbes
3 days ago
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When Violence Based On Religion Or Belief Amounts To International Crimes
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In Nigeria, Boko Haram and other militia groups have been spreading havoc and targeting anyone who does not subscribe to their interpretation of Islam. Among their victims are Christians, who are a minority in the states where the terror group operates. The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) recognized the gravity of the crimes by Boko Haram when, in 2020, it concluded the preliminary examination and sought formal investigations. The next steps have been stalled for the last five years as the ICC has been waiting for domestic authorities to investigate the crimes. In Syria, reports suggest a new wave of atrocities committed against religious minorities, including violence against Christians, the Alawites and the Druze. In Iraq, Yazidis continue to fight for justice and accountability, some eleven years after the Daesh genocide, with close to 2,600 Yazidi women and children still enslaved to this day. In China, Uyghurs are said to be moved from forced indoctrination camps to forced labor camps, with the products tainted by this slavery flooding Western markets. In Afghanistan, religious minorities such as Christians, Ahmadiyas, and Baha'is, among others, are effectively extinct in the country after many of them were evacuated when the Taliban was taking over, with a small number of their members going underground. Hazara Shias, a numeric minority group, although going into millions of members, continue to be subjected to targeted attacks by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and other groups. The Taliban, while not claiming responsibility for these attacks, is responsible for failing to prevent them. In Iran, Baha'is are considered to be apostates and face persecution, marked by extreme violence including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention. Baha'is are denied equal rights, which affects all aspects of their lives in the country. This year has also seen an increase in Islamist attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as perpetrated by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters, part of the Islamic State's Central African Province. One of such attacks, on a church in the town of Komanda, resulted in some 40 worshipers killed. To name a few. All such attacks, which meet the legal definitions of international crimes, must be addressed by states and the international community as a whole. However, as we see too often, responses are rare and often too late to make a difference in the lives of individuals, let alone whole communities. Investigations and prosecutions of those responsible are an exception to the rule, with the rule being impunity. Prevention of these atrocities is a faraway goal with little to no preparatory work being undertaken by States. 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Fox News
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