Project Summary:
This collaborative 3-part study employs mixed methodologies to understand awareness and impact of Clean Slate policy across a broad set of U.S. states. In partnership with San Jose State University and Santa Clara University, PhD student Joanna Wahmhoff and Associate Professor Sarah Lageson leverage a quasi-experimental longitudinal interview methodology and a multi-state survey to document the impact of Clean Slate among Clean Slate-eligible individuals. The current study interviews these participants at two additional time points to document changes in their lives over time (N = 40 participants at two time points each, totaling 80 interviews). By comparing pre- and post-expungement interview data with the same directly-impacted people, we center the voices of those who are most affected while gaining a deep and nuanced understanding of both the anticipated and actual impacts – as well as limitations and potential areas for policy improvement. We also identify best practices for messaging and notification through qualitative interviews with community stakeholders, policymakers, and advocates. Drawing upon the pool of community and government stakeholders from our prior Clean Slate study, we are longitudinally interviewing 30 of these experts, along with 20 additional experts from new Clean Slate states, to document implementation barriers and successes, fidelity to policy over time, and specific approaches to messaging targeted toward impacted groups.
Papers from this project have been published in Criminology and Public Policy and Qualitative Criminology.
Funders:
This project is funded by the Clean Slate Initiative.
