Illinois Democrat Governor Signs Soft-on-Crime Bill Into Law
Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law that will effectively seal the criminal records of more than 1.7 million people in his state.
The so-called “Clean Slate Act,” signed into law on Jan. 16, allows people with non-violent criminal offenses to have their records automatically sealed, according to a report from WFLD.
Enforcement agencies and clerks must comply with the law by 2029.
While non-violent offenses will be automatically sealed, records for certain offenses — such as sexual violence, DUIs, and murder — are not affected.
The law is framed as a way to give criminals more opportunities after committing infractions.
“There is no reasonable public safety justification for making it hard for returning citizens to get a job or housing or an education,” Pritzker claimed.
“It’s a policy guided by punishment rather than rehabilitation.”
As noted by WLS-TV, there are 2.2 million adults in Illinois with previous arrests or convictions, with 1.7 million — about 79 percent — having been arrested or convicted with a non-violent offense.
They would have their records sealed, in part or in full, by the new law, which enters into effect on June 1, 2026.
Illinois Democratic State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, who was a main sponsor of the bill, said that a past crime from her younger years inhibited her later in life.
“I was given the chance to move beyond my mistake and to manifest my potential in service of my community, and I want the millions of other people in this state to have the same exact opportunity,” she said.
“This law is not about charity. It’s not about forgiveness. This is about justice. This is about redemption.”
Gordon-Booth added that “the story of that humanity, the idea that people have to audition for their humanity, has to stop.”
Republicans, who were already skeptical of the “Clean Slate Act,” objected to the removal of a requirement that applicants for having their records sealed pass a drug test.
Pritzker meanwhile argued that the law would improve the economy by effectively growing the size of the workforce.
“This law will unlock $4.7 billion in lost wages, and this law reduces crime,” he said.
“Study after study tells us that when formerly incarcerated individuals have access to resources, jobs and housing and education, recidivism rates go down significantly,” Pritzker continued.
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