The Clean Slate Initiative

Kimberly Stutson knows firsthand what a real second chance means — and what happens when it’s out of reach.

In a conversation with The Clean Slate Initiative, she opens up about her experience navigating life with a record — including the significant barriers she faced even 30 years after completing her sentence — and why Oklahoma’s Act gives her hope for the future.

Her story reflects the reality faced by millions of people in America:

1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has an arrest or conviction record. Even after doing everything asked of them, people with records face barriers to employment, housing, education, and financial stability. And even when someone is eligible for record sealing, the process can be costly, time-consuming, and out of reach.

That’s where Clean Slate comes in. The Clean Slate Initiative works to pass and implement automated record sealing laws so people with arrest or conviction records can access real second chances. Clean Slate laws have now passed in 13 states — soon to be 14 with a bill pending Governor Kehoe’s signature in Missouri — and as a result, over 18 million people on a pathway to record sealing.

Watch Kimberly’s full interview, and hear more from our storytellers: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrR_pXI22jTAfovw4MN6J9RPlyphJMat2&si=IXUZRtoiucvk3g8o