Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Onal, C. (2022). Effects of automatic criminal record expungements on employment. SSRN. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4192101 [Subgroup of White individuals]
Highlights
The study's objective was to examine the impact of automatic expungement state policies on employment for White individuals aged 25 to 64 with no college education. The author investigated similar research questions for another contrast with Black individuals, the profile of which can be found here.
The author used a difference-in-differences design to examine the relationship between automatic expungement state policies and employment for White individuals. Using Current Population Survey data from 2010 through 2021, the author used a statistical model to compare employment over time in states that did and did not adopt automatic expungement policies.
The study found no statistically significant relationship between automatic expungement state policies and employment for White individuals aged 25 to 64 with no college education.
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a well-implemented non-experimental design. This means we would be somewhat confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to state automatic expungement laws, but other factors might also have contributed. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
Automatic Expungement Policies
Features of the Intervention
Individuals with past involvement in the criminal justice system often face barriers to employment. Some states have adopted automatic expungement policies, such as Clean Slate legislation and cannabis-related expungement, that automatically clear criminal records for eligible individuals. This study examined four states that adopted automatic expungement policies. Pennsylvania implemented Clean Slate legislation that automatically cleared federal criminal records related to low-level crimes. Illinois, New York, and New Jersey implemented automatic expungement policies that cleared cannabis-related criminal records.
Features of the Study
The author used a difference-in-differences design to examine the relationship between automatic expungement state policies and employment for 2,520,467 White individuals aged 25 to 64 with no college education. The author used individual-level monthly Current Population Survey data from January 2010 through December 2021, which included individual characteristics and employment outcomes. The treatment group included White individuals living in the four states that adopted automatic expungement policies during the study period: Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. The comparison group included White individuals living in all other U.S. states. The author used a linear probability model to compare employment over time in states that did and did not adopt automatic expungement policies.
Findings
Employment
- The study found no statistically significant relationship between automatic expungement state policies and the probability of employment for White individuals aged 25 to 64 with no college education.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The author conducted several robustness checks. To address the potential for confounding posed by states in the comparison group with limited automatic expungement policies, the author re-examined impacts after excluding states with limited automatic expungement policies so the comparison group included only states where expungement required a petition; they found that the results remained consistent. The author also re-examined impacts by removing each treatment state one at a time to determine if any single state was heavily influencing the overall results; they did not find any state that significantly altered the conclusions.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a well-implemented non-experimental design. This means we would be somewhat confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to automatic expungement state policies, but other factors might also have contributed. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.