It’s Time For A Clean Slate Law In Hawaiʻi
Clean Slate Hawaiʻi is a campaign to pass a state-initiated record shielding law in Hawaiʻi’s state legislature.
A Coalition With Lived Experience.
WHO WE ARE
Clean Slate Hawaiʻi is a coalition of community-based organizations, faith-based groups, directly impacted individuals and their families, and advocates.
We are rooted in Hawaiʻi’s communities, and know firsthand the barrier a record has on one’s ability to move forward in life.
We believe in giving one another the chance to make things right after past mistakes. We value uplifting those who have earned their second chances, so they can go on to support their families and communities.
Around 315,000 people in Hawaiʻi have a petty or low-level arrest or conviction record that keeps them from accessing work, housing, and services to support their ‘ohana. A process exists to shield or “expunge” eligible records, but very few people can access it. That's because eligibility is narrow, and the process is complicated and costly.
Clean Slate Hawaiʻi’s goal is to change this outcome. We believe people who have paid for their past mistakes and remained crime-free should have a fair path to rebuilding their lives and earning a dignified living.
Creating a state-initiated, streamlined process for shielding eligible records from public view would increase efficiency and make second chances more accessible.
Pass A State-Initiated Record Shielding Law in Hawaiʻi.
OUR GOAL
Hawaiʻi is among several states advancing Clean Slate legislation. To date, 14 states, and Washington D.C., have passed Clean Slate laws.
Clean Slate Hawaiʻi is affiliated with The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI), a bipartisan organization working across the country, and in Congress, to pass and implement Clean Slate laws and expand who is eligible for record shielding.
The Clean Slate Initiative advocates for Clean Slate legislation, provides technical support to states to implement legislation, and is redefining the narrative around people with records. CSI is supporting Clean Slate Hawaiʻi with technical support for our locally-led movement.
Clean Slate Legislation Is Passing Across The Country.
A NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Photo courtesy of Hui Ho'iwai (2022).