Connecticut's Clean Slate Law Erases 150,000 Records, But Many Don't Know

Connecticut Erases 150,000 Criminal Records Under Clean Slate Law; Notification System Still Lacking

Connecticut has automatically erased more than 150,000 criminal records under the state's Clean Slate law, but tens of thousands of people whose convictions have been wiped from their records have not been told, because the state has no system to notify them.

Governor Ned Lamont marked the milestone at a press event held in Middletown on March 11, 2026. Ronnell Higgins, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, acknowledged the gap directly.

"We are trying to now determine the best way to make those 150,000 — hopefully soon 200,000 — aware that their records have been erased," Higgins said, according to Connecticut Public. His department oversees implementation of the law.

How Connecticut's Clean Slate Law Works

Governor Lamont signed the Clean Slate Act in 2021. The law requires the state to automatically erase most low-level criminal convictions after a waiting period — seven years for eligible misdemeanors and ten years for eligible felonies — without the person needing to petition a court or take any action.

Sex crimes and family violence convictions are excluded from eligibility. The automatic erasure process applies to individuals who have not reoffended during the waiting period.

Automatic erasure under the law had been delayed by technical challenges. The process resumed in late 2025, accelerating the number of records cleared. As of the March 11 event, the total had surpassed 150,000, with Higgins projecting the count will reach 200,000 in the coming months.

The Notification Gap

Despite the erasure milestone, the state lacks a proactive system to inform individuals that their records have been cleared. Without notification, people who had their records automatically expunged may continue to voluntarily disclose old convictions on job, housing, or loan applications — disclosure that is no longer legally required and could be unnecessarily harming their prospects.

State officials say they are working with advocacy organizations and stakeholders to design a notification strategy. No timeline or funding commitment has been publicly announced.

The challenge is logistical: records are erased through an automated judicial process, but the state's data systems do not currently include a mechanism to generate and send individual notifications to the hundreds of thousands of people whose records have been wiped.

Who Benefits and What the Law Means

The Clean Slate law was designed to reduce the long-term barriers that criminal records create for people who have served their time and avoided reoffending. Convictions — even for minor, nonviolent offenses — can limit access to employment, professional licensing, housing, and public benefits for years or decades after the fact.

Connecticut's program is one of the most expansive in the country. According to the Clean Slate Initiative, more than 18 million Americans across 13 states and Washington D.C. are now eligible for record sealing under similar legislation. Connecticut's automatic-erasure approach, which removes the burden of petitioning for expungement, goes further than many state programs.

Advocates who gathered in Middletown for the March 11 event celebrated the milestone while calling attention to the notification gap. Individuals who want to confirm their records have been cleared can check their status through the Connecticut Judicial Branch's online records portal at jud.ct.gov.

What Officials Are Working Toward

Higgins said his department is in discussions with reentry organizations and legal aid groups to develop a notification process that addresses both privacy concerns and outreach logistics. Confirming that a person's record was erased requires verifying their identity, which complicates mass notification efforts.

No legislative proposals addressing the notification gap had been publicly introduced as of publication. The governor's office has not released a timeline for when a system could be in place.

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