In February, Illinois became the 13th state to pass a Clean Slate law — legislation that automatically seals eligible criminal records without requiring the person to file a petition, hire a lawyer, or even know their record qualifies. The law is expected to eventually affect an estimated 2 million people once it takes effect.
That last part matters more than it sounds. Advocates who helped pass similar laws elsewhere say the biggest barrier isn't the law itself — it's that most people never find out they're eligible. One formerly incarcerated advocate in Illinois, who helped run record-sealing workshops years before the law passed, said even people working in the reentry field are often unaware their own record could have been sealed already.
That's exactly the gap automatic sealing is designed to close: instead of relying on someone learning about, applying for, and following through on a legal process most people have never heard of, the record clears on its own once the waiting period passes.
Illinois joins a growing list — Michigan, Pennsylvania, Utah, and others — that have moved from petition-based expungement to automatic record relief.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times, February 2026.
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