A Resource for Advocates
This new edition of our resource for advocates provides guidance for shaping Clean Slate policies that can change lives.
The Advocate’s Guide is an informational resource designed to assist advocates in developing automatic record sealing policies that are implementable by government.
Insights include:
- Key concepts in automatic record sealing
- A deep dive into the mechanics of automatic record sealing, including agencies involved and steps in the process
- Expert tips on eligibility criteria and process
First published in 2024, this guide has since been updated to include our Automatic Record Sealing Policy Review Worksheet, a resource that makes it easy for advocates to ensure a draft automatic record sealing policy aligns with the guide’s best practices.
Code for America’s Clear My Record team—a leader in automatic record sealing policy design—knows that a policy is only as good as it is implementable. Technical expertise garnered through years of working directly with government, policy makers, and advocates on automatic record sealing is available in this essential guide.
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Table of contents
waving_hand Introductionschool Foundational knowledgestar Automatic record sealing technical best practiceschecklist NEW How to operationalize this guide: Automatic Record Sealing Policy Review Worksheethandshake How we support advocates in designing implementable policies in collaboration with The Clean Slate Initiative
How Code for America supports advocates in designing implementable policies in collaboration with The Clean Slate Initiative
As soon as a campaign starts, Code for America works directly with advocates, The Clean Slate Initiative, and the government agencies responsible for sealing records to provide support that goes beyond the best practices contained in this toolkit.
Our role throughout a campaign—from when the first draft of Clean Slate legislation takes shape, all the way through a bill’s journey in the legislature—is to help surface and solve implementation problems before they happen, shaping policy based on our technical expertise and input from government agencies involved in record sealing.
The goal of this collaboration is to maximize the chances for successful bill passage and ultimately create the conditions for successful implementation.
Our services:
- We review bill concepts, outlines, and drafts before and throughout the legislative session to provide tailored technical recommendations for a policy’s eligibility criteria and new record sealing processes
- We meet with criminal legal system agencies to assess the technical and data needs of an automatic record sealing policy
- We review proposed bill amendments, identify technical challenges within them, and then propose solutions to any identified challenges
- We help evaluate external stakeholders’ feedback about a policy through a technical lens
- We prepare technical talking points about a policy for use during the legislative session, including hearings
- We provide demos to government agencies showing technical solutions to possible implementation challenges
Are you involved in a Clean Slate campaign and/or looking for advice on specific, technical questions?
We’re ready to support you right from the launch of your campaign.