Sep 22, 2020 / Criminal Record Expungement
JOTF continues its celebration of National Expungement Week by highlighting the effects of a criminal record on Job Seekers in Maryland.
The criminal record is the cause and consequence of poverty for many low-income workers, particularly Black men and women. Many find that they are criminalized as a result of their poverty and race. Arrest charges, non-convictions, and dated convictions – particularly nonviolent misdemeanor and felony offenses – are major impediments to employment for any job seeker, but especially Black men and women whose criminal justice interaction limits their access to economic security. As we celebrate #NationalExpungementWeek, JOTF continues to remain steadfast in our advocacy for comprehensive criminal record expungement reforms in Maryland. Given the intersectionality of race, poverty and criminality in the United States, bold, sensible expungement reforms are necessary to ensure Maryland’s low-income workers aren’t denied a chance to be self-sufficient as a result of a criminal record.
#NationalExpungementWeek #SecondChances #ExpungeTheRecord #JobsJobsJobs #JOTF #Session2021 #EyesOnAnnapolis
