NEW POLL: PENNSYLVANIA VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT EXPANDING CLEAN SLATE; BELIEVE JUSTICE SYSTEM NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
Poll Finds More Than 8 in 10 Pennsylvanians––Regardless of Party Affiliation––Favor Expanding Automated Record Sealing
Harrisburg, PA -- As a divided Pennsylvania legislature considers additional criminal justice reforms this session, the Justice Action Network released a poll showing that Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support expanding the state’s 2018 Clean Slate law and believe the justice system needs improvement.
Link to the full poll results here
Conducted last week by Susquehanna Polling and Research via a live caller poll of 500 registered Pennsylvania voters, the poll found broad public support for key reform proposals pending in the legislature, including 81% of voters who support the expansion of the state’s Clean Slate law to include eligibility for automated sealing of low-level drug convictions.
“Pennsylvania’s current Clean Slate law has been a success, helping rebuild the local economy, expand the state’s workforce, and provide people the true second chance they’ve earned,” said Jenna Bottler, executive director of Justice Action Network. “Expanding that law is not just smart policy; as this poll shows, it also has overwhelming support from voters of both parties. Lawmakers should listen to the general public and advance Clean Slate this session.”
The poll found the following:
More than half of Pennsylvania voters (52%) believe the criminal justice system is broken and in need of a significant overhaul, with only 5% who think it works “well as it is.”
8 in 10 voters across the political spectrum favor expanding automatic record sealing to include non-violent drug offenses:
81% of voters support adding offenders with nonviolent drug offenses to automatic record sealing, with no difference by party affiliation.
This includes 81% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats and 80% of Independent or voters unaffiliated with any major political party.
After hearing arguments both for and against expanding Clean Slate reforms, 78% of voters still support an expansion to automatic record sealing.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan coalition of criminal justice advocates, national policy experts, and state lawmakers held a press conference at the State Capitol to discuss the new effort to expand the number of Pennsylvanians eligible for automated expungement, as well as the poll results.
Since the passage of Pennsylvania’s first-in-the-nation Clean Slate law in 2018, nine other states have followed suit with similar policies. Eleven more states are considering Clean Slate bills this year, and recent studies prove automated expungement policies have created significant economic opportunities wherever passed without compromising public safety.
Recently-filed bill HB 689, sponsored by Representatives Jordan Harris (D-Phila.) and Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland), would build on Pennsylvania’s 2018 framework to expand automated record sealing to more Pennsylvanians who have proven they can remain crime free.