Crime & Justice
Pennsylvania governor signs law to seal certain criminal records
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a bill to wipe clean criminal records for certain low-level offenders if they go a decade without any other conviction
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a bill to seal criminal records for certain low-level offenders if they go a decade without any other convictions, reports WHHY.
Pennsylvania to seal criminal records under terms
Under the “clean slate” new law, those who serve a year or more in prison can petition courts to have their records sealed after 10 years, as long as they’ve made all their court-mandated payments.
Second-or third-degree misdemeanors that require a shorter than a two-year prison sentence are also eligible for automatic record sealing.
No longer have to reveal record
If people with sealed records are asked about prior convictions, it will be as if the crime never happened, said state Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia.
“If this person is applying for a job, their answer is no,” he said. “And our hope is that folks who have 10 years free from crime won’t commit any. Quite honestly, the statistics show that.”
Pennsylvania is the first state to pass such legislation.
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine®
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Happy Birthday! Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth”, turns 100
Buried history: Documentary uncovers Black slave cemetery hidden under Staten Island shopping center
Justice for Nolan Wells Reward Fund raises $300k
NYPD makes arrest 8 months after Kianna Underwood’s fatal hit‑and‑run
In Memoriam: R&B legend Freddie Jackson dies at 70
Strangers raise $10,000 in 48 hours for Las Vegas piano tuner after viral video
VP of Detroit funeral home found dead days after family said mother was mistakenly cremated
New York deli owner rewards kids with cash and snacks for good grades
Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley to open 10,000‑square‑foot Times Square restaurant on Oct. 3
Black Public Media opens submissions for 10th PitchBLACK, offering filmmakers up to $150,000 in production funding
Woody Shaw’s Avant‑Garde ‘Song of Songs’ returns to vinyl after 50 years through Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf Series
Kansas City’s Copper Boyz Ranch provides youth violence‑prevention through horsemanship
Nolan Wells’ family demands ‘thorough’ investigation: “What we’ve been told does not make sense”
Peabo Bryson, Grammy‑winning voice behind two Disney classics, dies at 75
OWN greenlights first-ever ‘Belle Collective’ spinoff Belle Collective: Birmingham
-
In Memoriam2 weeks agoVP of Detroit funeral home found dead days after family said mother was mistakenly cremated
-
Real Voices2 weeks agoBlack Aerospace Professionals Development Director Haifa Baptiste dies in Costa Rica flash flood
-
Health & Wellness2 weeks agoCalifornia couple welcomes rare mixed triplets weighing 19 pounds total, nearly breaking world record
-
In Memoriam2 weeks agoNorth Carolina A&T mourns beloved senior who tragically died after saving sister from drowning
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks agoBeloved Southern Illinois Univ. Professor Kofi Akamani shot and killed; wife charged with murder
-
Real Voices2 weeks agoNolan Wells’ autopsy report and cellphone data raise more questions about his death, says attorneys
-
Social Justice2 weeks agoWhite Philadelphia teacher and activist admits to lying about being Black and Palestinian
-
Real Voices2 weeks agoBeloved College of San Mateo football player Ja’Marion “Pop” Grace killed in car crash