The New York Second Chance Sealing Gap

Abstract

New York’s Clean Slate Act (S211/AB1029 in the 2023 legislature), proposes to automate the sealing of criminal records that meet certain conditions. Applying the Act’s provisions to a sample of criminal histories of individuals applying for gig worker jobs, we estimate the share and number of New Yorkers with convictions who would be eligible for Clean Slate automated sealing. In addition, we estimate the aggregate annual earnings loss attributable to the state’s current, less accessible system based on statistical analyses of the earning loss from a conviction, of about $5,100 for a misdemeanor and $6,400 for a felony.

Keywords: criminal records, second chances, second chance gap, expungement, earnings loss, cost-benefit analysis, fiscal analysis, uptake analysis, Clean Slate

JEL Classification: K14,K40,K42