EXPUNGEMENT

And about one million people were made eligible for expungement when Michigan’s Clean Slate laws went into effect on April 11, 2021. Before Clean Slate, only about 2,500 Michiganders applied each year. “But it’s a drop in the bucket when you’re talk about a couple million people having criminal records in Michigan.”The Clean Slate legislation had two parts. Michigan Works, the state’s workforce development association, has helped provide expungement services to 20,000 people since Clean Slate went into effect. This has included hiring more people with criminal convictions, exploring expungement services, removing some drug testing requirements and lowering thresholds around degrees and certifications.

Profits from Tree Town Cannabis’ newest confectionary will go to the Great Lakes Expungement Network (GLEN).

It's only the second time in more than 50 years that Congress has voted to repeal cannabis prohibition

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Expungement assistance, grants, job and wealth creation, business incubators and other strategies to “heal the harm” caused by the war on drugs. These are a few of the initiatives Grand Rapids leaders are looking to tackle by forming a new nonprofit.

Officials in Washtenaw County are making major changes in the counties approach to criminal justice.

Ahead of the Detroit Pistons game Friday, dozens of Detroiters had their records expunged at Little Caesars Arena.

County officials said it was the first of multiple expungement clinics they will host in August and September.

From 8-11 .m. on Tuesday the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office will be at Bellflower in Ypsilanti doing free criminal record expungement checks.

Even if the offenses are minor, a criminal record can limit the opportunities for someone looking to get on a positive path.

New Michigan laws are making it easier for residents who have committed nonviolent crimes to get their records wiped clean.

For thousands of Michiganders, it’s the opportunity for a better life.

"It's really important to get those things off the rap sheet as soon as possible," said Karen Kane, who works in the office responsible for sorting through the tens of thousands of convictions eligible for expungement.

Marijuana plants are pictured at the Baker's marijuana nursery at Baker Medical Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)ANN ARBOR – Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit announced Tuesday that his office will no longer bring charges in cases related to marijuana or entheogenic plant use, possession or small-scale distribution. Today, I’m pleased to announce that we'll no longer be charging cases related to marijuana or entheogenic plants (naturally occurring psychedelics). If Washtenaw County’s largest city’s resolution decriminalized the use, growth and possession of psychedelic plants, the Prosecutor’s Office sees no point in bringing charges forward elsewhere in the county. For that reason, we will no longer be contesting expungement for marijuana or entheogenic-related offenses.”See the full policy directives for cannabis and marijuana and entheogenic plants.

The bipartisan Clean Slate Package will automatically expunge some marijuana convictions, minor crimes and nonviolent felonies. Gilchrist joined Whitmer when she signed the Clean Slate package. “We made an estimate that it’s going to cost about $23-25 million to implement the Clean Slate automated expungement system," Gilchrist said. Whitmer on Monday alongside a number of House bills designed to automate the criminal record expungement process and expand eligibility criteria. More: New ‘Clean Slate’ laws to automate criminal record expungement process, expand eligibility criteria in Michigan

Some Michigan residents who have been convicted of a misdemeanor marijuana offense are now eligible to have that conviction set aside. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills into law on Monday expanding eligibility requirements for criminal record expungement -- including for those with misdemeanor marijuana convictions. Marijuana offenses are eligible for expungement if they would not be considered illegal if committed after December 6, 2018, when recreational marijuana use became legal for adults in the state of Michigan. In 2018, Michigan voted to legalize recreational marijuana by an 11-point margin. More: New ‘Clean Slate’ laws to automate criminal record expungement process, expand eligibility criteria in Michigan

Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents may be eligible to have their criminal record expunged under new laws, according to the state. How it worksMichigan residents who have committed certain crimes can file an application to have their criminal record expunged. Instead of waiting for automatic expungement, individuals seeking to have a serious misdemeanor or felony conviction set aside can submit an application after five years. Individuals seeking to have more than one felony conviction set aside can submit an application after seven years. Individuals cannot have more than two felony convictions or four misdemeanor convictions set aside during their lifetime.

Michigan would automatically expunge the criminal records of hundreds of thousands of residents under sweeping “clean slate” bills that received final legislative approval on Thursday. They would be eligible seven years after their misdemeanor sentence and, in the case of a felony, 10 years after their sentence or prison term, whichever occurred last. In Michigan, an expungement — or set aside — clears the public record of a conviction so it does not appear in a background check. Law enforcement still keeps a non-public record, but no longer have to disclose their past on job applications or other forms. “Making expungement cheaper, easier and available to more residents than ever before will remove the barriers that hold too many people back.”