Clean Slate Can't Wait

More than one in seven New Yorkers has a record of a criminal conviction, which keeps many from accessing basic opportunities like employment and housing. The Clean Slate NY campaign is fighting for a new law (S1553A/A6399) that will automatically clear a New Yorker’s conviction record once they become eligible. The civil damage a conviction record can inflict is often wide-ranging and enduring—permanently barring many individuals from basic opportunities like stable jobs, licenses to practice trades, and safe, secure housing. HMM correspondent Corinne Carey spoke with Cedric Fulton, the civil rights manager for the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition, a member of the Clean Slate New York Steering Committee about the campaign.