Michigan’s New Expungement Laws Offer Second Chance

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gaveltakenbyandrew-187

From the Associated Press — Supporters of Michigan’s recent expungement expansion say getting a criminal record cleared can help people gain housing, go to school, get better employment and lead otherwise fuller lives. A University of Michigan study in 2020 found that in the year after expungement, a person’s wages improve by about 23%. But only 6.5% of people who meet the legal requirements for expungement in Michigan get their record cleared in the first five years of eligibility. Programs like Project Clean Slate in Detroit are looking to fix that problem. The project provides free legal help to city residents interested in clearing their records.