barriers to employment · 2018. 6. 27. · barriers to employment 39% 42% 50% 23% multiple barriers...
TRANSCRIPT
Barriers to Employment
39%
42%
50%
23%
Multiple barriers
Criminal backgrounds
No driver's license
No high school diploma/GED
N = 8,668
60%
19%
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
Male Female
Criminal Background
No Criminal Background
Barriers to Employment
Seals a criminal case record from public access
and removes electronic record from Wisconsin
Circuit Court Access (WCCA) website
Expungement
• Laws in Wisconsin vs. other states
• Possible changes that could expand
expungement opportunities
• Analysis of Milwaukee County court cases from
2006-2017
Expungement
Wisconsin's expungement Law
• Offenders under age 25 are eligible
• Misdemeanors and non-violent Class H and Class I felonies are eligible
• Must be approved at sentencing
Uncommon Features of WI’s Law
• Only state where approval must be made at sentencing
• One of a few states where eligibility is restricted only to young adults
• One of a few states with no provision for non-convictions
Expungement & Record Sealing
surrounding states
Adult CasesMore or Less
Restrictive than WI?
Iowa Expungement only allowed for non-convictions. More
IllinoisAll misdemeanors, most felonies, and all non-convictions are
eligible for expungement regardless of offender age.Less
IndianaAll misdemeanors, most felonies, and all non-convictions are
eligible for expungement regardless of offender age.Less
Michigan
Individuals can seal up to one felony and two misdemeanor
convictions in their lifetime regardless of age at time of
offense. Most felony convictions are eligible. Non-convictions
for first offenses also eligible.
Less
Minnesota
All misdemeanors, many non-violent felonies, and all non-
convictions are eligible for expungement regardless of offender
age.
Less
Other Expungement issues
• Ambiguity in statute appears to have resulted in lack of
uniformity in its application
• Wisconsin Department of Justice also maintains online criminal
history database
• Lack of awareness of expungement eligibility among ex-
offenders
Other Related issues
Criminal records also can affect access to:
o Professional licenses
o Small business loans and grants
o Financial aid for higher education
o Housing assistance
Most Severe charge in MKE County cases2006-2017
329 1,3755,705
1,7463,717
7,6329,640
13,74516,149
49,255
18,12215,201
Offender Age in MKE County cases2006-2017
20,576
34,486
27,776
19,351
14,692
31,307
Under 20 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40 and over
Offender race in MKE County cases2006-2017
2.1%
0.6%
3.9%
14.3%
52.7%
26.4%
0.2%
0.4%
0.5%
3.4%
27.5%
67.9%
Other
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian or Pacific Islander
Hispanic/Latino
Caucasian/White
African American/Black
% of total cases % of county population
allow decision-makingafter sentence completion
Option 1:
Option 2:permit expungement for closed cases
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Total Convictions Potentially-Eligible Closed Cases
Option 3:allow non-convictions to be expunged
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Non-Convictions Total Cases
Option 4: remove age requirement
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Ages 24 & under All ages
Option 5:permit expungement of more felonies
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Felony H or lower Felony G added Felony G, F, & E added
Relative impact of changes on cases2006-2017
30,638 30,638 30,638 30,638 30,638
51,425
3,004 5,837 7,117 3,180
Age requirement
eliminated
Felony G
allowed
Felony G & F
allowed
Felony G, F & E
allowed
Non-convictions
allowed
Closed cases allowed Additional cases
Projected additional mke county cases that could become eligible in 2019
1,139 1,139 1,139
390
1,560
3,973
Felonies G, F, & E allowed Non-convictions allowed Age requirement
eliminated
Current Law
Individuals by number of casesN=573
26.4%
20.9%
15.0%
37.7%
1 case 2 cases 3 cases 4+ cases
Individuals by severity of convictionsN=573
21.8%
78.2%
Offense > Felony H
No offense > Felony H
• Clerks of courts offices
• Court system
• D.A. offices
• Public defender’s offices
Potential impacts on criminal justice system
• Senate – approved 2017 Senate Bill 53 by a 30-2 margin
• Assembly – committee approved 2017 Assembly Bill 331;
full Assembly approved Senate Bill 53 by a 95-0 margin and
sent it back to Senate with Assembly Bill 331 attached
• Senate took no further action
Recent action at the state capitol
www.wispolicyforum.org