Gomez joins Barriers to Bridges: Clean Slate Laws & Public Health webinar
Senator Adam Gomez (D-Springfield) joined The Public Health Insitute of Western MA for Barriers to Bridges: Clean Slate Laws & Public Health webinar. Coinciding with Second Chance Month and National Public Health Week, the event explored how clean slate laws can positively impact public health, economic opportunity, and racial equity.
The webinar also featured insights from:
Dr. Sheena Meade, CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative, a national organization championing policies that expand second chances through record clearance.
Jessica Collins, Executive Director of the Public Health Institute of Western MA, whose work centers health equity and community well-being.
Jay Ash, CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, bringing a business perspective to the importance of second chances and economic inclusion.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to join leaders from across public health and advocacy to offer a policy perspective on the health, legislative, and economic dimensions of clean slate policy,” said Senator Gomez. ““We all deserve a fair opportunity to make a living, care for ourselves, and live in decency – we all deserve a fair shot at a future. Immediate sealing of favorably ending offenses or other non-convictions would ease the burden of navigating this process and eliminate collateral consequences, ensuring that people who were incarcerated have the opportunity to succeed.”
“Clean slate policies are more than just legal reforms - they’re public health interventions,” said Dr. Sheena Meade, CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative. “Our communities are safer when people can access stable housing, meaningful work, and healthcare without the weight of a past record. It’s time we recognize record sealing as a tool for healing, opportunity, and lasting change.”
Massachusetts laws protecting CORI data are currently very strict, with the legislature limiting access to a sealed CORI to law enforcement, the Department of Early Education and Care for approval to work with children, and the Department of Youth Services and Children and Families to approve adoptive and foster care homes. Once a CORI is sealed, Clerks of the Courts and the Commissioner of Probation are required to say “no record exists” to all who ask unless they come from an aforementioned authority.
CORI sealing in Massachusetts has a history of being a hard-to-understand petition-based process wrought with backlogs and delays that can be several months long. As of January 2025, 672,000 people in Massachusetts are eligible to have their CORIs sealed, but of those eligible only about 10% have sealed CORIs. In the 12 states that currently automate this process sealing rates have increased by 300-400%, and studies show that a sealed record increases an individual’s likelihood of finding a job and boost earnings significantly as they gain access to career advancement opportunities. This contributes to increased consumer spending, tax revenues and reduced reliance on public assistance. This change is also a form of racial justice reform, as a disproportionate number of those eligible for CORE sealing are Black (45%) and Latino (52%).