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A State For Second Chances: Utah’S Clean Slate Legislation, Madelynn Woolf

Utah Law Review

Utah’s Clean Slate Act and the wave of similar legislation across the country provide a much-needed change to the traditional method of expungements that left many still facing heavy collateral consequences. Utah’s first pass at this legislation struck a good balance, evidenced by bipartisan support. It does not eliminate responsibility for one’s actions, but “[t]hose who violate the law and then pay their debt to society should not be punished indefinitely for the rest of their lives.” This reflects the broader “vision of America, then and now . . . a land of second chances, where one could make a …