NBA PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CLEAN SLATE INITIATIVE IS HELPING TURN PAIN INTO PURPOSE
With a bipartisan policy model, Clean Slate works to update and expand eligibility for arrest and conviction record clearance for those remaining crime-free for a period of time.
We celebrated the partnership during NBA All Star Weekend. This came after the recent Utah Clean Slate Summit co-hosted by the Utah Jazz NBA team and free criminal record expungement clinic striving to make criminal record expungement less politically divisive. “Everyone deserves a second chance,” said Jazz owner Ryan Smith in a recent NBA.com report. “There are 400 [event attendees] who woke up this morning and decided that today’s a new day, and their lives are going to change. … They’re leaving the past behind, and that’s what all this is about.” Underscoring the need for reform, about the Summit Utah Governor Spencer Cox said, “Unfortunately, people pay their debt to society, and then that’s still hanging over their heads in ways that are unfortunate. We know better, we know we can do better...” Relatedly, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also strongly advocates for ‘second chance’ change, having cited, “We’re going to keep doing whatever we can and invent new ways to help remove barriers.”
Our organization’s work with government agencies and influential coalitions like the NBA Social Justice Coalition is intended to create real, transformational change in people's lives,” notes Meade. “All of our clean slate efforts are rooted in the American Dream: the belief that if you work hard, you should be able to get ahead and provide for your family. Everyone deserves a shot at redemption. People who have made mistakes, paid their debt to society, and now want to make a better life for themselves and those who depend on them deserve a chance to do so."