ALT Because clean slate leverages research-based waiting periods, employers can rest easy knowing that potential employees who have benefited from clean slate laws are no more likely than anyone in the general public to commit a crime.

ALT Assistance with the expunction process and job searching for eligible residents with prior convictions in Travis County Saturday, April 27th Do all convictions qualify for expunction? No, only certain convictions are eligible. Click the registration link for more info!

ALT The Stories Behind the Barriers: Life with a Record Thousands of Texans still face the consequences of having a criminal legal record, despite paying their debt to society. This is Mandi’s story.

ALT From a young age, Mandi Zapata experienced the impact of imprisonment on one’s family with her father coming in and out of jail. However, it wasn’t until her own incarceration that showed just how permanently damaging a record could be in fulfilling her role as a parent. Zapata had difficulty finding a job and even providing a home for her kids after her release. As a result, Mandi hopes sharing her story will inspire second chances for formerly incarcerated individuals.

ALT "They give you a lot of false hope like society [will] welcome you back...But that’s not true. Our sentence is really a life sentence as long as they keep holding our felonies over our heads."

ALT Latecia is more than her record. But her story is overshadowed by misconceptions about the criminal justice system.

ALT Latecia Hill had 30 years of corporate experience prior to her incarceration. But her professional career has since been halted by one past mistake. Latecia now devotes her time to training other Texans like her in hopes of advocating for greater acceptance of employment

ALT "Even after I had paid my debt to society, I’m not given the opportunity to thrive and to successfully take care of myself. [At] some point, we need to be redeemed."

ALT The State of Public Safety Through Healing and Equity St Edwards university | 3001 S Congress Ave, Austin TX 78704 March 1, 2024 | 6-9pm Meet the panelists Panelist photos and names: Delisa, Helen Gaebler, Steve Smith, Mia Greer, Pastor Moody, Leslie Whiteside, Chase Wright, Katie Kitchens

ALT The State of Public Safety Through Healing and Equity St Edwards university | 3001 S Congress Ave, Austin TX 78704 March 1, 2024 | 6-9pm Meet the hosts: Cynthia Simons, Bill Wallace, Lisa Bell

ALT Join a collaborative community event just before International Women’s Day that highlights the need for alternative solutions to systems that fail communities. We will talk through public safety from a diverse lens and highlight the consequences of failed systems on communities as a whole. Promoting healing and real policy solutions, this is an event you won't want to miss.

ALT JOIN US FOR OUR INAUGURAL TEXAS EVENT LED BY JUSTICE-IMPACTED ADVOCATES. EXPERIENCE A DAY OF INSPIRATION, EMPOWERMENT, AND ADVOCACY FOCUSED ON RAISING AWARENESS AND SUPPORTING THE CLEAN SLATE LEGISLATION, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUTH IMPACTED BY THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM IN DFW.

ALT Myth-Busting Part 3: We’re setting the record straight on what proposed Clean Slate legislation truly means for Texans.

ALT Myth #1: Police will become too busy sealing records to focus on crime. Fact: The courts, not the police, will be responsible for sealing records. Access to record sealing lowers the likelihood of reoffending, reducing the burden on the criminal justice system.

ALT Myth#2: Victims will lose justice once records are sealed. Fact: Clean Slate does not reduce sentences or affect orders of protection and victim compensation. A person can apply for a Clean Slate only after they have paid their debt to society. Not all charges and crimes are eligible for Clean Slate.

ALT Myth #3: Clean Slate allows any record to be sealed at any time. Fact: For someone to seal their record under Clean Slate, they have to complete their sentence and a waiting period. People cannot seal their record if they are on probation or parole.

ALT Myth-Busting, Part 2 Here are some more common misconceptions on what Clean Slate means for Texans.

ALT Myth #4: Clean Slate will completely erase criminal legal records. Fact: Clean Slate will expand record sealing, not clearing. This means all law enforcement agencies and some state agencies will still have access to sealed records.

ALT Myth #5: Clean Slate is a soft-on-crime approach that does not hold people accountable for their crimes. Fact: A person must remain crime-free for years before they are eligible to seal their record. Clean Slate is a pathway for rehabilitated Texans to reintegrate.

ALT Myth #6: This means people with a criminal legal record will be given a job over people with a clean record. Fact: Texas is currently experiencing a labor shortage. That’s why Small Business Majority, a network of 1,500 business organizations, supports Clean Slate.

ALT Collection of images of Sommer with her family as a kid. Text reads: The Voices of Impacted Texans Here's Sommer Alexander's story

ALT Photo of Sommer with her son. Text reads: When Sommer Alexander was released, she moved into her partner’s house and enrolled in college in hopes of building a better future. Following a break-up with her partner, Sommer struggled to find safe housing for her and her children. She ended up in a neighborhood where she was stabbed and wound up in the hospital. She lost her home and family.

ALT Photos of Sommer advocating for Clean Slate. Quote reads: [We’ve] paid our debt to society and just want another chance. Text reads: Today, Sommer works at Embassy Suites and is a member of Time Done and the Statewide Leadership Council. However, it took years for her to get there because her record worked as an obstacle.

ALT Quote reads: The bigger side of this is that my children were all affected... because not only did they lose their mom to prison, now they've almost lost her to life.

ALT Text reads: 455,160 Texans can't vote because of a felony conviction.