Do you agree with New York’s Clean Slate Act?

👍 Yes (49%) – "Without these kinds of bills, people genuinely have no way to earn a living and become independent citizens again. People's rights are removed during incarceration and allowing employers, landlords and government programs to continue to "discriminate" after they have already served their punishment leads to recidivism. Prisons have extensive programs to help people earn degrees and skills to become successful upon release, but these programs can't work if former inmates are not allowed to use these skills. It's really no different than putting a kid in a detention as a punishment, but then sending them back the next day "just in case."

• "If convicts have served their sentences with good behavior they should not be further punished. Moreover, it’s the best policy for society as many return to crime because they have no legal opportunities."

"Absolutely! As a criminal defense attorney, I can verify that a lot of good people make mistakes and deserve a second chance. If they can’t get the “mistake” off their records, they often can’t change the downward trajectory of their lives caused from the “mistake”, and it becomes a vicious cycle that affects them and their families forever."

• "With the known inequality in sentencing between races, the least we can do is allow people with lesser crimes and good behavior to have a clean slate. That's how you allow people to become functioning members of society."

"Rehabilitation should be the aim of our criminal JUSTICE system - not continued penalties to the point where individuals can't live a decent and dignified life after they've served their time and have proven through their continued good behavior that they are committed to living a better life than they did in the past."

👎 No (29%) – "Any employer should have a clear understanding of who they hire. Especially if it's potentially putting the rest of the employees in any danger, however slight. The odds could be low, I don't know the statistics, but any risk should at least be known to the employer."

• "I think it’s a fabulous idea, but not if it includes violent crimes. Someone who is convicted of armed robbery or attempted murder should keep that label. People who have committed other low-level crimes like drugs or shoplifting should be allowed a clean slate."

"When it comes to victimless crimes, such as drug use, I don't have a problem with not exposing that information to the public. Drug users can be rehabilitated. But I agree with the Republicans. I see this as incentive for people to enact violent crimes again. Recidivism is a serious issue in America, and we don't need to give convicted criminals more reasons to do it."

🤷 Unsure/other (22%) – "In general, I agree, but I immensely dislike the idea that attempted murder and arson are included. Those are the deal breakers that mean I'd vote no if the idea were presented to me on a ballot. But I agree strongly with the concept."

• "It’s an interesting idea but sounds like it needs to be way smaller in scope - it shouldn’t allow for any violent crimes like attempted murder, manslaughter and domestic violence to be unknown - they’re too indicative of future bad behavior but perhaps would be ok for petty theft or drug related. It also shouldn’t be an option for repeat offenders."