One major argument often heard by those who oppose legalization is that it puts youth at risk. However, an analysis recently published by the Journal of the American Medical Association has concluded that there is no change in youth marijuana use after states enact legalization.

The study analyzed federal Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 1993-2019 in 10 medical or adult-use states. Researchers ultimately concluded that legalizing marijuana “was not associated with current marijuana use or frequent marijuana use” and that “medical marijuana law (MML) adoption was associated with a 6% decrease in the odds of current marijuana use and a 7% decrease in the odds of frequent marijuana use.” Regarding youth consumption, it found that youth use actually decreased in states where legalization has been in place for 2+ years.

While this may seem surprising, it actually isn’t. Advocates have often remarked that regulated marijuana sales decrease youth access and illicit markets. It’s only logical that when marijuana is legal, fewer black market sales are happening—and obviously, teens will not be able to purchase from legal marijuana businesses that are strict in checking IDs. This study ultimately proves that legalization decreases teen use and debunks the myth that ending prohibition will harm the community and its youth.

If you have an old marijuana charge that doesn’t fit with society’s changing attitudes towards prohibition, we understand. We offer 100% online record clearing services that are less taxing and less expensive than the traditional lawyer route. Get started with a free background check from www.easyexpunctions.com so that we can determine what’s on your record and what’s eligible for a quick expunction!

Poverty should not be criminalized. New York lawmakers seek to eliminate court fees, parole, probation, and other fines implemented by the criminal justice system in an effort to lessen the high rates of incarceration at Rikers Island jail, an understaffed detainment center infamous for overcrowdedness, disease, and inhumane living conditions.

Lack of wealth often stems from lack of privilege, and lack of privilege stems from a cycle of debt and incarceration that’s incessantly continued since our nation’s founding. Legally arresting someone based on their inability to pay tedious fees and fines showcases a clear classist division. The criminal justice system should not rely on incarceration as a source of revenue, and New York lawmakers are finally taking action. The measure’s sponsor, Manhattan Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, expresses her dismay in a quote that follows:

“This is a system designed to criminalize poverty. To marginalize New Yorkers who can’t pay the arbitrary revenue-generating court fees baked into every step in our state’s legal process. New Yorkers deserve a justice system that works fairly for all — not just those who can afford to pay its endless surcharges.”

Wealth does not determine worth. Everyone deserves a fair chance at pursuing their life of choice. The inability to pay costly fines and fees incurred from lawyers, convictions, etc., are not a reasonable basis of incarceration, and the introduction of this measure represents hope for New Yorkers who’ve been viciously victimized by a classist system.

If expensive lawyer fees or criminal charges are keeping you from moving forward, Easy Expunctions can help. For more information about our affordable and lawyer-free expunction process, give us a call at (866) 775-9983 or visit our website at easyexpunctions.com.

Bexar County, Texas, has implemented some major criminal justice reform that will help protect the rights of indigent defendants. Those who are indigent don’t have money to pay for a lawyer and instead get a court-appointed attorney. Indigent individuals make up roughly 80% of those arrested within Bexar County.

The newly appointed Managed Assigned Council System (MAC) is officially in effect and will serve to improve legal services for these indigent defendants. The system will keep track of court-appointed attorney caseloads so that they don’t have so many cases that they can’t adequately serve their defendants. MAC will also ensure indigent defenses have more resources and will make sure attorneys are supervised.

Administrative judge Ron Rangel, who has been working on MAC for years, noted that while other counties have MAC systems, this is the first one to completely overhaul felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile cases:

“The system, it’s been referred to as a once-in-a-lifetime change in the criminal justice system… It’s going to make criminal justice more accountable to the people. Attorneys are going to be supervised and looked over by a manager, outside counsel, a program that is outside the judge’s hands, that is going to ensure that fairness exists across the board as it relates to representation.”

Our criminal justice system should give equal opportunity to everyone, regardless of their financial status. Therefore, we applaud Bexar County’s efforts to ensure that taxpayer dollars will be more closely watched to ensure that poor individuals have a fair chance in court.

If you’re living with a criminal record because you don’t have the funds to hire a lawyer, we can help. Our services come at a fraction of the cost of a lawyer, and everything is 100% online. Sign up for a free background report from www.easyexpunctions.com to see what exactly is on your record and what’s eligible to be erased!

Connecticut’s Division of Criminal Justice had released an interesting study that highlights the reality of racial disparities within the state’s criminal justice system. The findings tell us that Black and Hispanic defendants who have no prior convictions are 6% and 5% more likely to be convicted of crimes in comparison to white defendants.

Claudine Fox, advocacy and policy director for the Connecticut Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, noted the following:

“From policing to re-entry, the criminal justice system is set up to harm Black and Latinx people who are disproportionately living with criminal records in Connecticut already. Any claims that the Chief State’s Attorney is making about disparities disappearing when they factor in a record of conviction, shows the exact opposite. It proves that the system is doubling down on itself and the racial disparities already within it.”

Studies like this are important in deeming racial bias as a harsh reality. When we know the figures, and we know that they’re indisputable, that’s when we’re able to make changes to repair the system’s flaws. Though every defendant has their own case specifics, we as a society can’t ignore shocking disparities. The sobering statistics lead to economic disparities, as unfair incarceration of minority communities can lead to a vicious cycle of recidivism and poverty.

If you feel that you’ve been victimized by the criminal justice system, we may be able to help. We offer expunction services that are fast, online, and inexpensive. Don’t carry the weight of a criminal record the rest of your life; we can help erase qualifying arrests, charges, and convictions from your record. Reach out to us today to get yourself on the path towards a clear criminal history!

Yolo County, California is doing its part to remove racial bias within its criminal justice system. The District Attorney’s Office has partnered with the Stanford Computational Policy Lab on computer software that redacts all identifying information from cases until after it has been decided whether to charge or drop a case.

This means that information regarding race or identity is not even available as the District Attorney’s office receives it, and cannot subconsciously be taken into account used to discriminate against minorities. Even the location of the crime is withheld. After a charging decision has been made, all the identifying information is then revealed. It’s noteworthy that sex crimes, domestic violence, and homicide are excluded from the measure.

District Attorney Jeff Reisig noted the following points in an announcement of the criminal justice reform:

“People across the country have made it clear that they want meaningful reform in the criminal justice system, especially when it comes to eliminating the insidious effects of racial bias in all forms.”

“We are telling the public we make these critical decisions without considering race. It should be a gamechanger when you start talking about if the system is fair.”

“Our hope is that prosecutors across the country will see what we are doing and replicate it because there is no good reason not to.”

Though the program is still in its pilot phase, we’re hopeful that the implications make it a more common occurrence throughout the country. This system of race-blind charging is the first of its kind and can definitively prove whether counties are making biased decisions—in fact, Stanford plans to compile the data to determine the existence of conscious or unconscious bias.

If you’re tired of being weighed down by a criminal charge, we can help. Get started with a free background report from EasyExpunctions.com to see exactly what’s on your record, and what is eligible to be erased!

One past mistake shouldn’t dictate the direction of your future. House Bills 4219 and 4220 will grant deserving Michiganders a second chance at a clean criminal record by allowing certain first-time drunk driving convictions to be expunged five years after an individual’s probation ends.

A person’s character can endure an exponential amount of growth in the span of five years, especially when they’ve spent a significant amount of time and money paying the consequences of their actions. An evolved individual shouldn’t be forced to wear a scarlet letter for the rest of their life, and Michigan’s new law surely delivers relief to rehabilitated citizens looking to contribute to society without fearing the perpetual burden of a drunk driving conviction.

Under the new law, Michiganders charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other controlled substances, including those charged as minors, will be able to seek expungement as long as the offense did not result in serious injury or death.

If a previous conviction is placing a limit on housing and employment opportunities, our record-clearing experts at Easy Expunctions can give you the tools you need to take off the scarlet letter and pursue the life you deserve. For more information about our affordable expunction packages, give us a call at (866) 775-9983 or visit our website at EasyExpunctions.com.

Many people don’t realize that if they’ve been arrested but weren’t formally convicted, that arrest record still remains. Anyone can see it, from landlords to neighbors to employers. Even if those records mean nothing about you or your actions, many will still discriminate simply because the criminal record exists. Fortunately. states across the country are doing their part to de-stigmatize this type of information obtained by background checks.

Under the newly passed House Bull 707, employers in Louisiana may no longer consider an arrest record or charge that didn’t end with a conviction. Act 406 requires employers to individually assess criminal records to see if there’s a direct relationship between the records and the job itself. This means that if a record didn’t end up in a conviction and has absolutely no relationship with one’s ability to perform a job, they cannot deny them the position solely because of the criminal records. Additionally, the new law allows applicants to see the background checks conducted by the employers if they want to do so.

This law is overall a huge win for proponents of criminal justice reform. It’s about time the government stepped in to reassess unfair hiring policies that punish people with criminal records, many of whom were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you’re having a hard time finding a job because of an arrest or charge that didn’t result in a conviction—or even one that did result in a conviction—we may be able to help with a fast and easy expunction. We make it affordable for you to rid your record of eligible charges; get in touch with us today to learn more!

The legalization of recreational cannabis is no longer a matter of moral opinion—it’s just common sense. A Missouri petition in support of cannabis legalization is forcing the state to acknowledge several topics that have been swept under the rug for far too long: the proven benefits of cannabis use, the devastating numbers of cannabis-related arrests, and the socioeconomic benefits of cannabis legalization.

Marijuana possession accounts for a significant portion of drug-related arrests in Missouri, incarcerating 21,000 Missourians in 2018 alone. As our nation gains a better understanding of the substance and its benefits, more and more states are making the logical decision to decriminalize and legalize cannabis. The petition would allow Missourians 21 and over to legally purchase and cultivate cannabis. It would place a 6% tax on all cannabis products with the intention of establishing an automatic expungement system for Missourians with nonviolent marijauana offenses on their record. The accumulated revenue would not just relieve deserving Missourians from the burden of their criminal record; it would also be used to fund health care for veterans and drug addiction treatment.

If passed, this ballot initiative would be the single largest criminal justice reform that Missouri has seen in decades. Many oppositions express concerns regarding public safety and unwanted threats to the status quo—two concerns that were immediately debunked in a statement by Legal Missouri 2022 Campaign Manager John Payne:

“The status quo has allowed an unsafe, illegal market to thrive in Missouri, while preventing law enforcement from truly prioritizing the fight against violent crime. Now is the time for Missouri to join the 19 other states to have successfully regulated and taxed adult-use marijuana, bringing millions in new funding for vital state services.”

The burden of a previous conviction can feel heavy at times. If your criminal record is weighing you down, we can help you let it go. Contact our record-clearing experts at (866) 775-9983, or visit our website at EasyExpunctions.com to learn more about our affordable expunction packages.

North Carolina is seeing the most significant expansion of voting rights since the 1960s with a new policy that restores voting rights to roughly 55,000 North Carolinians on parole or probation for a felony conviction. However, if the ruling is upheld on appeal, lawmakers plan to progress even further by allowing voting rights to be restored immediately after an individual’s prison sentence has been completed—a policy that’s already practiced by most states.

As we all know, prison serves as punishment for a crime and the sentence is determined based on severity. If the Criminal Justice System did not believe in successful rehabilitation for people convicted of felonies, sentences wouldn’t vary based on severity, and they especially wouldn’t be reduced based on good behavior. The United States Criminal Justice System was created to protect and serve the public, and imprisonment is implemented not just for the safety of the public, but to rehabilitate those who have made mistakes so that they can reenter society and contribute to their communities. After all, these people pay taxes. Shouldn’t they have a say in where their money goes?

The reality for Black people in regards to America’s prison system is devastatingly different from the reality faced by whites. Stanton Jones, lawyer and advocate for prisoners’ voting rights in North Carolina, brought up the disproportionate effects that restrictive voting policies have on Black Americans. During the trial, Jones reported that although 21% of North Carolina’s voting-age population are Black, they make up an alarming 42% of those whose voting rights have been stripped away. A chilling sentence follows:

“which is no surprise because that’s exactly what it was designed to do.”

America’s outdated laws restricting the rights of certain populations were not implemented to promote liberty and justice for all, but liberty and justice for some—a truth that reflects a tragic hypocrisy for a country built on freedom.

If a previous conviction is keeping you from participating in government, finding housing and employment, or pursuing the life you deserve, it’s time to take action with the help of professionals at Easy Expunctions. Get in touch with us at (866) 775-9983 or visit our website at easyexpunctions.com for more information about our easy and affordable record-clearing process.

In a controversial move, Governor Ned Lamont modified Connecticut’s criminal background policy by allowing judges to access juvenile criminal records anytime, including after hours.

The state’s increase in car thefts influenced the decision by the Governor, but statistics show the rise in crime to be a national issue, not a local one. Connecticut crime trends match growing national trends, which have seen an uptick since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many feel that around-the-clock access to juvenile records will not help the state’s vulnerable populations or combat crime. Advocates in the state believe counseling and other programs are the answer, as these types of services have been proven beneficial in the past. Another concern raised by Connecticut lawmakers was the lack of training by the police in obtaining detention orders and the arrests of juveniles.

Arrest records from crimes committed as juveniles often haunt individuals for life and make it challenging to build promising futures and end destructive cycles of poverty. Giving young people second chances generally improves the lives of people, families, and entire communities.

At Easy Expunctions, we believe that you are not your past. If you have a criminal record you would like erased, contact our experts to see if you’re eligible to rid your record of an arrest, charge, or conviction.