Access in Action: Second Chance Amendment Act in Practice
The District of Columbia’s Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 simplifies the process for record sealing, expands eligibility, and introduces automatic record-sealing to promote successful reintegration into the community of formerly incarcerated individuals. Although passed in 2022, the Act never received the necessary funding and did not take full effect until recently. The law’s provisions will take effect over time, with the changes to eligibility and simplifications already effective on March 1, 2025. The District has until October 2027 to enact the automatic record-sealing process.
The benefits of the Act are far-reaching. This provision will enable thousands of DC residents to apply for employment, housing, education, and other benefits previously closed to them. Expanded eligibility means thousands more DC residents can seek sealing or expungement of their records. The sealed or expunged records are also not searchable by the public.
Join our esteemed panelists for a discussion of the impact of the Act, how it works, and how you can use it to benefit your clients.
- Jacob Lemon-Strauss, Director, Expungement and Respondent Representation Programs at Rising for Justice
- Patrice Sulton, Executive Director of the DC Justice Lab
Gwen Washington, Pro Bono Attorney for Cleary Gottlieb, will moderate our discussion.
This discussion is free to attend, but pre-registration is required.