County Board Votes Unanimously to Back Expungement Reform
"I am pleased that every member of the county board can see the economic urgency of this issue."
MLWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County Board unanimously adopted Supervisor Sequanna Taylor Taylor’s resolution calling for the Wisconsin Legislature to reform and expand upon current expungement laws by adopting several recommendations of the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Taylor’s resolution calls for reform of laws and practices relating to the sealing of criminal records that make it difficult for people to obtain employment and pursue opportunities to provide for themselves and their families.
“I am pleased that every member of the county board can see the economic urgency of this issue. In a city with one of the highest unemployment rates and which is known as the worst place in the country to raise a black child, adding a conviction to these other factors makes it extraordinarily difficult for a person re-entering society to gain lawful employment and obtain life’s basis necessities. Expungement allows people who have completed their sentences to be given a real chance to pursue opportunity and economic security for themselves and their families,” said Supervisor Taylor.
Supervisor Taylor worked with the Office on African American Affairs and local advocacy groups to craft her proposal.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum recently issued a report on Wisconsin’s expungement laws and noted that “Wisconsin appears to have a stricter expungement law than all of its neighboring states except Iowa.”
Taylor’s resolution asks the Milwaukee County District Attorney and his staff to advocate for expungement as a default policy in proceedings.
The measure also calls upon state and federal elected officials “who represent any portion of our community to help develop and/or support the passage of expungement policies and practices as outlined in this resolution.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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