Connecticut

Criminal Records Could be Cleared Under Proposal

The proposal being pushed by Sen. Gary Winfield, (D - New Haven), would expunge, or clear a criminal record form an individual after three years of being clean out of prison.

Advocates like Rogsbert King crowded into the Connecticut State Capitol, Wednesday, fighting to get criminal records cleared automatically, after a period of a few years and after a thorough review.

King was convicted of drug possession with intent to sell and sentenced to nine years in prison in 1989. She's spent the past few years working for non-profit groups with the homeless and those who struggle with addiction and substance abuse. She says finding a job has been difficult.

“Sometimes I would act like I didn’t see the box," King said, regarding to the checked box on an application asking whether the applicant has a criminal record. "I needed to get the interview. Some people would say, you didn’t check this box. Some people didn’t ask me. One person who didn’t ask me actually interviewed me and I won them over.”

The proposal being pushed by Sen. Gary Winfield, (D - New Haven), would expunge, or clear a criminal record form an individual after three years of being clean out of prison.

Winfield says the measure could help stop the cycle of crime in some cities, and even in families.

“If a person has been in our system, they come out, they’re doing everything they’re supposed to do," Winfield said Wednesday. "That affects the child, who later has more chances of actually interacting with our system.

The measure would extend to violent crimes as well, including elder abuse, and drunk driving. Republican Leader Themis Klarides in the House of Representatives opposes the measure.

"Rushing a bill through without taking into account the repercussions of such potential legislation just to appease various voters at the expense of survivors does a disservice to all who live in and visit Connecticut," she said.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is also against the measure, for fear of wiping out recent records for potential repeat offenders.

Winfield says the General Assembly and the general public need to change the way they think about criminals and their crimes. He says if people are clean for several years and they can get better jobs, the odds of them repeating those offenses are slim.

"We traditionally thought about these things in one way and I think it’s time that we radically rethink the way we think about the criminal justice system.”

King says her life would be changed if she could have her criminal record cleared.

"I could go to any school. I can get licensed. And I can be that clinical social worker. And that’s what I’m looking for," she said.

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