Giving Compass' Take:
- Code for America’s Clear My Record program helps people clear minor, non-violent offenses from their record that impede their ability to get jobs and otherwise be productive.
- How can philanthropy support individuals with minor, non-violent offenses on their record to lead productive lives? What role can you play in addressing systemic problems in the criminal justice system?
- Find out how Oakland, CA is working to use the legal marijuana industry to undo the damage of the drug wars.
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Over the years Jennifer Pahlka has listened as discouraged people across America shared their stories of missed employment, education, financial, and housing opportunities with her. Sheâs comforted these individuals, gotten to know them, and learned that past marijuana convictions follow them in ways that make it impossible to move forward in life.
As more and more states around the country start legalizing marijuana, thousands of people find themselves haunted by past convictions that show up on background checks. In many cases, removing the harmful marks from criminal records is possible, but the journey towards record expungement is an extremely stressful one filled with lengthy paperwork and costly legal assistance.
That's where Code for America’s Clear My Record program comes in. Using a new and advanced technology, Code for America set out to revolutionize the record expungement process, starting in California. The organization hopes to work nationally to clear a monumental 250,000 marijuana convictions by 2019.
Clear My Record was first introduced in 2016 with hopes of helping people reduce or clear any low-level, non-violent, and non-serious crimes from their records. (Not simply those related to marijuana legalization.)
Read the full article about Code for America’s Clear My Record program by Nicole Gallucci at Mashable.