Mary Valdovinos faced repeated rejections for housing and jobs over the last decade because of her past drug convictions.
Valdovinos, 34, said she took a chance this fall and applied again for a new apartment. She expected another rejection because of her criminal record. But this time was different. Her background check came back clean.
“I started crying,” Valdovinos said.
Valdovinos is one of at least 146,000 people whose criminal convictions were wiped from their records under the state’s Clean Slate law. Automatic erasures resumed in October 2025, and after years of delays implementing the 2021 measure, state officials say they’re now mostly caught up with putting Clean Slate into effect.
For Valdovinos, of Stamford, the realization has been overwhelming because a clean record has given her a fresh start, she said.
"It's allowing me to continue being the person who I've become, and I've worked really hard to get to this place,” said Valdovinos, who works as a social justice and re-entry professional.
Clean Slate is intended to give people like Valdovinos a second chance, as those with criminal records often face barriers accessing employment, housing and education.
However, many who stand to benefit from the law don't know yet their records were changed. The state doesn't have a way to notify people when their convictions are erased. For Valdovinos, confirmation came via the background check attached to her application for housing.
“That’s problematic,” said Gus Marks-Hamilton, an organizing manager at the Connecticut chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Marks-Hamilton said it’s already difficult for most people to understand which types of convictions are eligible for automatic erasure.
The law requires the state to erase most old, low-level convictions from people's records after seven years for eligible misdemeanors, or 10 years for eligible felony convictions. Sex crimes and family violence crimes are not eligible for erasure under the law.
People who take the initiative to check their criminal records also face a $75 fee. Philip Kent, a member of advocacy organization Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, said the charge presents another hurdle for those with prior convictions, who may already face economic stress because of a criminal record.
“The benefits of Clean Slate will be delayed, if not totally denied, for people who just don't understand that their record may have been cleared,” Kent said.
Rick Green, a spokesperson for the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), said the agency is exploring the problem and considering potential solutions. About 100 more people become eligible for automatic erasures each day, he said.
The state is also working to begin automatic erasures for people convicted of driving under the influence.
“DUI is a little more complicated because the cases often involve multiple offenses,” Green said. “DUI needs more scrutiny to determine the right people are erased. That'll be tackled in early 2026.”
The state encountered myriad technical issues as it implemented the law over the last several years. The process was also delayed as lawmakers expanded the types of crimes eligible for erasure.
Connecticut spent millions on technological solutions, and eventually hired an outside software quality assurance company in 2024 to clean up major data quality issues that were a large reason for the delays.
DESPP Commissioner Ronnell Higgins previously called Clean Slate the most complex IT project the state has ever taken on.
To date, twelve other states and Washington D.C. have passed their own versions of the legislation, according to the Clean Slate Initiative, a bipartisan organization that advocates for clearing eligible records for people who have completed their sentence and remained crime-free.
