KITCHEN: RECORDS EXPUNGMENT BILL IS A START, BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE

            HARRISBURG, April 29 - Calling it a step in the right direction, state Senator Shirley M. Kitchen (D-Phila.) today applauded the unanimous Senate passage of legislation that would make it easier for ex-offenders to clear summary offenses from their criminal record, but expressed that more needs to be done.

“I applaud the passage of this critical legislation, sponsored by Senator Stewart Greenleaf, which offers thousands of ex-offenders a second chance to enter the workforce, Kitchen said.  “However we are forgetting those ex-offenders of non-violent misdemeanor offenses that also deserve a second chance.”

Kitchen, a long time champion for providing ex-offenders a second chance, has worked diligently on this issue with over 50 organizations and interest groups, as well as colleagues in the House and Senate, who have rallied and lobbied for solid second chance legislation.

 “If we are serious about giving people a second chance and cutting prison recidivism, we must give these individuals a chance to pay their debt to society and move forward with a clean slate.”

Under current law, a record can only be expunged when an ex-offender turns 70 or dies. Senate Bill 232, which Kitchen co-sponsored, would enable someone with a summary offense on their record to petition their county court to have the record cleared of that offense if they have gone five years with no arrests or convictions.

In the original version of Senate Bill 232, those convicted of second- and third-degree misdemeanors to also have their records expunged, that version was amended before final passage.

            Kitchen said that she has been in discussions with an influential Republican and looks forward to working on a bill next session that would include those second- and third-degree non-violent misdemeanor offenses.