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Michigan’s Clean Slate law has cleared nearly 1.5 million convictions, expanding access to jobs and housing, but advocates say barriers like driver’s license suspensions still limit access to economic opportunities for many residents.
Advocates and state leaders warn that a cleared record is only half the battle if a resident cannot legally drive to work to build wealth and better support their children.
A retail fraud conviction haunted Elvina Smith for 18 years. “All you have is your name,” Smith said. “I don’t want people to see Elvina Smith: felon. I want people to see Elvina Smith and think math enthusiast; or mother of two beautiful daughters; or a daughter who takes care of her disabled mom…because there’s so many things to me besides the felony.”
Smith learned at an expungement fair hosted by W.K. Kellogg Foundation grantee Safe & Just Michigan that her record had been automatically cleared under the law. “If I had to describe getting an expungement in one word, it would be ecstatic,” she said. “I feel like a rebirth. I’m reborn today. And that’s priceless.”
The success and shadows of Clean Slate
Enacted in 2020, the Clean Slate Law created a dual pathway to clearing records relief: a simplified petition process and an automatic “rules engine” that launched in April 2023 to set aside eligible convictions without an application. As of early 2026, Michigan’s automatic expungement process has cleared nearly 1.5 million convictions, impacting more than 950,000 people with at least one conviction; roughly 293,000 people now have completely clear records.
Despite these gains, analysis from Safe & Just Michigan notes persistent hurdles: the state does not formally notify people when their records are cleared, and commercial background check companies often continue to report outdated convictions, leading individuals to “check the box” on job or housing applications even when they no longer need to.
“We have and will continue to advocate for the implementation of a Clean Slate portal,” said Kamau Sandiford, Clean Slate program manager. “The lack of a notification process means people continue to ‘check the box’ on applications even when they no longer have to.”
“If I had to describe getting an expungement in one word, it would be ecstatic. I feel like a rebirth. I'm reborn today. And that’s priceless.”
Bridging the gap: The bumpy road to restoration
Even for people whose criminal convictions are cleared, economic mobility is often stalled by the bumpy road of driver’s license restoration. In Michigan —the center of the automotive world — tens of thousands of residents remain sidelined by suspended licenses, most often for unpaid fines and fees tied to minor offenses rather than unsafe driving.
A 2025 report, Driving on a Suspended Livelihood, published by Safe & Just Michigan and the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP), highlights how transportation barriers compound justice system obstacles. The report notes that restoring a license can be a confusing, laborious and costly process and calls for reforms including “ability to pay” assessments to prevent residents from losing driving privileges due to medical or financial hardship.
“We should be asking policymakers: ‘Do you want this person to work or not?’” Sandiford said. “The most common cause of suspension is failure to pay. It leads to an accumulation of fees they cannot get out from under. How many of these sanctions have nothing to do with unsafe driving?”
A new model for reentry
Michigan’s “Road to Restoration” clinics have become a statewide model for addressing these hurdles. These free clinics, run by the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) with volunteer attorneys, help residents understand the steps necessary to reinstate their driving privileges and, when possible, take on-site actions like written tests, vision screenings and guidance toward administrative hearings.
Khyla D. Craine, Michigan Department of State Chief legal director, said the initiative succeeds because it meets residents where they are. “It’s about talking to residents all across the state on a one-to-one basis to help them understand their specific pathway,” Craine said.
Alana White, program officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, emphasized that this work is vital for family stability. “Transportation continues to be an issue across Michigan,” White said. “Access to legal rights and resolving license issues is a key component of creating the conditions for Michiganders to access jobs, childcare and education.”
Investing in the Public Good
Advocates frame these reforms not just as legal fixes, but as economic investments. John S. Cooper, executive director of Safe & Just Michigan, points to data showing that expungement leads to a 23% average increase in income within the first year and an 11% increase in likelihood of employment.
“If we have people who are stuck in poverty because they have old records or can’t drive to work, they are at risk for destabilizing events like eviction,” Cooper said. “Expungements and license restoration are public goods. People pay taxes on that increased income, they support their families better and they break the cycles of criminalization.”
Rubina Mustafa, senior staff attorney at the Detroit Justice Center, noted that reliance on financial sanctions often impairs upward mobility. “There are other ways to improve driver safety that don’t involve courts or incarceration,” Mustafa said. “The goal should be helping people keep a job and raise their families.”
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