CA: Many Californians can clear criminal records, but don’t. This bill would make it automatic

[sfchronicle.com – 3/7/19] People arrested or convicted of crimes in California could have their criminal records automatically cleared under a proposed law announced Thursday by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and Assemblyman Phil Ting. AB1076 would wipe out eligible convictions for people who have completed local sentences and eliminate many arrest records that have not resulted in convictions. Offenders already are eligible to petition the courts for the relief, but less then 20 percent take advantage of the program, said Ting, D-San Francisco. Under the law, people convicted of…

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Kat’s Blog: Reframing the Message Begins With You

In a recent chat with a registrant he referred to himself as a “S.O.” /”sex offender”. I was sort of stunned. After all the previous discussions we’d had about not giving in to anyone’s labels, about standing up for who you know yourself to be, how, I asked, can you refer to yourself as an S.O.? It seems I had caught this person on a bad day, he had just exited a weekly sex offender treatment group where everyone was referred to as a “sex offender” or simply “S.O.” by…

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