NEW LAW OFFERS OPPORTUNITY TO GET SUMMARY OFFENSES EXPUNGED


Kitchen

            HARRISBURG, December 5: State Sen. Shirley Kitchen today applauded the approval of a new law that will give individuals the opportunity to remove summary offenses from their criminal record expediently.

            “This is a significant step in the right direction for giving individuals with minor offenses a second chance,” Kitchen said. “Too often, individuals who make a mistake and want to be a productive and employed member of society continue to be punished because of their past. This new law will help them move forward with their lives.”

             Act 134, which goes into effect in late January and signed by governor Rendell on Nov. 26, allows individuals with summary offenses to request that their local court expunge an offense from their criminal record five years after they completed their sentence. Summary offenses include crimes like disorderly conduct and shoplifting.

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           Prior to the new law, an individual’s criminal history information could have been accessed by anyone upon request to the State Police, regardless of whether they are employed by a criminal justice agency. 

            As a longtime advocate for second-chance legislation, Kitchen has fought to provide non-violent ex-offenders better opportunities to get their lives back on track.

            “The passage of this legislation would not have been possible without the many advocates and organizations that have worked with my office for more than five years to produce second-chance legislation, most notably Sharon Dietrich from Community Legal Services (CLS) in Philadelphia,” Kitchen said. “Whether it was lobbying legislators or attending Capitol rallies, CLS and the other numerous organizations and agencies have made such an effort to bring to light the conditions affecting ex-offenders.  I thank them for keeping this important issue in the spotlight.

           “I also thank the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Tribune for educating the public on the issue of giving ex-offenders a second chance.”