ONLINE: It’s Time to Reform Wisconsin’s Expungement Law

media release: Wisconsin’s expungement law is flawed and unlike any other in the nation. The law, designed to allow for people with low-level, non-violent offenses to essentially have their record sealed, is so restrictive that it makes it difficult for anyone to receive an expungement and creates disparities among those who do.

Expungement is intended to help people pursue jobs, housing and other opportunities as they work to turn their lives around. A bipartisan group of Wisconsin lawmakers, backed by a broad coalition of supporters, are advancing legislation that would change the law to make it more equitable and effective.

Join the Badger Institute on March 24, 2021, at 10 a.m. for a virtual discussion with two Wisconsinites who have seen firsthand the need for reform: State Public Defender Kelli Thompson and Shanyeill McCloud, founder of Clean Slate Milwaukee.

In a conversation moderated by Badger Institute Policy Analyst Julie Grace, Thompson and McCloud will discuss the shortcomings of the current law and the benefits that reform would provide to those seeking a second chance.