Many Pennsylvania criminal records will be automatically sealed beginning Friday as part of the Clean Slate law passed last year. Who is affected, and what readers need to know about the law.

What is the Clean Slate law?

Aimed at reducing the stigma that people with criminal records face while looking for jobs, education and housing, Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law expands criminal record sealing to more types of offenses.


Starting Friday, an automated computer process will begin wiping cases from public databases. These include charges that were dropped or where individuals were found not guilty, as well as summary convictions and other nonviolent crimes that occurred more than 10 years ago.

Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law is the first in the nation to automatically seal some criminal records via technology. The courts have a full year — until June 27, 2020 — to finish sealing all of the cases.

Who is affected?

A lot of people. According to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, an estimated 30 million cases will be eligible for auto-sealing ― or half of the cases in the state court’s database.

So all crimes from decades ago will be automatically wiped clean?

For some people, but not all. Summary offenses and second- or third-degree misdemeanors that resulted in a sentence of less than two years, like most retail thefts and first-time drunken driving convictions, should disappear off public search sites, but only for defendants who’ve been conviction-free for at least 10 years and have paid all their fines.

People who don’t qualify for the automated process may also benefit from Clean Slate, since it allows people convicted of some first-degree misdemeanors to petition the courts to have their records sealed. Again, a person can’t have any convictions in the last 10 years, and must have paid off all their court-ordered financial debts.

Clean Slate does not allow for records-sealing of more serious crimes, such as firearms charges, sex assaults, homicide, child endangerment and other violent offenses.

Are records actually being sealed?

Technically, no. Landlords and most employers won’t be able to look up your criminal past, but the police will. And employers who are required by federal law to consider criminal records will still have access, as well as those who use FBI background checks in the hiring process like schools, hospitals, law enforcement and banks.

And unlike expunged records, sealed records are not destroyed.

How can I check my criminal record?

Court records from every county in Pennsylvania can be accessed online via the Unified Judicial System of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website. It’s pretty easy to navigate.

What if I need help with the process?


The eligibility requirements are complicated, so you may need a lawyer to guide you. The “My Clean Slate” program, a partnership between Community Legal Service of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, offers free legal advice to Pennsylvanians who have questions about their eligibility. The program is seeking more volunteer attorneys.

In the Lehigh Valley, people who meet certain income guidelines may be able to get help from North Penn Legal Services in Bethlehem.

Is Clean Slate part of a movement?

It looks that way. In the year since Pennsylvania’s law was approved, similar bills have been introduced in several other states, including Utah and Connecticut.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are now working to eliminate a barrier that stops many ex-offenders from seeking careers that require professional licenses. A bill introduced last month by the bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Caucus would make it easier for people with criminal records to obtain licenses required for professions such as barbering, cosmetology, nursing and architecture.

Current law allows state boards to deny an application, or revoke a license, from people based on their criminal history. Under the proposal, felony convictions could be considered, but would no longer be automatic grounds for a board to deny or revoke a license. Instead, an applicant could only be denied a license if their criminal conviction was directly related to their occupation.

Morning Call reporter Laurie Mason Schroeder can be reached at 610-820-6506 or lmason@mcall.com