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In a positive step forward for criminal justice reform, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bipartisan bill package reforming Michigan's criminal expungement laws. House Bills 4980-4985 and 5120 make it easier for people with certain criminal offenses to have their record expunged. Below is a statement from David Guenthner, senior strategist for state affairs at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
The expungement bills signed into law yesterday offer ex-offenders in Michigan hope that their old crimes won’t haunt them forever and a clear incentive to model upstanding behavior. We are pleased to see Gov. Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature make it easier for Michiganders to move forward from their past mistakes and provide a better quality of life for their families.
Expungement reform was one of the Mackinac Center's 2020 policy recommendations. The Center testified in support of the package in both the House Judiciary and the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committees. You can learn more about the Mackinac Center's work on criminal justice at www.mackinac.org/criminal-justice.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Please consider contributing to our work to advance a freer and more prosperous state.
