PEOPLE CAN GO IN, THEY CAN
SEARCH FOR THEIR CRIMINAL
RECORDS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE
REMOVEED, THE FORM CAN BE AUTO
FILLED, THEY CAN SIGN IT ON
THEIR PHONE OR COMPUTER, AND
THEN THE FORM CAN BE SENT TO IN
DANE COUNTY EITHER THE URBAN
LEAGUE OR LEGAL ACTION OF
WISCONSIN WHERE IT WILL BE
PRINTED OUT, THE PERSON CAN GO
THERE, PUT THEIR FINGER FINGERPRINTS ON
THE FORM, AND IT IS SENT INTO
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
WE ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW ON
ESTABLISHING SITES AROUND THE
STATE WHERE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE
TO GO AND GET THOSE FINGERPRINTS
TAKEN.
PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT THE TOOL.
THEY CAN USE THE TOOL.
THEY CAN GET THEIR RECORDS
CLEARED MORE EASILY THAN IN
PRIOR TIMES.
>> AND SO THE TOOL IS
SPECIFICALLY WHAT LIFT DANE HAS
BEEN WORKING ON TO LAUNCH SINCE
2019, AND, ESSENTIALLY, IT IS A
WAY FOR SOMEONE TO EARTHQUAKELY
ACCESS THEIR INFORMATION AND
QUICKLY CONNECT TO EXPERTS WHO
CAN HELP THEM ALONG IN THIS
PROCESS AND HAVE IT DONE
QUICKER, IS THAT RIGHT?
>> THAT'S TRUE.
THE TOOL, AND WE CALL IT A TOOL
AND NOT AN APP BECAUSE IT
DOESN'T HAVE TO BE DOWNLOADED
FROM THE APP STORE.
YOU CAN JUST GET IT ON A
WEBSITE.
EITHER ON YOUR PHONE OR ON A
COMPUTER.
WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT AS
EASILY ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE AS
POSSIBLE.
THEY CAN FILL OUT THE FORMS
THEMSELVES OR WITH A TRUSTED
HELPER, A LEGAL NAVIGATOR, A
SOCIAL WORKER WHO IS WORKING
WITH THEM, AND IF THEY NEED
FURTHER HELP, THEY CAN REQUEST A
REFERRAL BY JUST HITTING A
BUTTON ON THE WEBSITE.
>> SO HOW MUCH MONEY DOES IT
COST THE INDIVIDUAL, AND HOW
MUCH MONEY DOES THIS PROGRAM
COST TO RUN?
>> THE GREAT THING IS THAT THE
INDIVIDUAL DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY A
PENNY, ALL RIGHT?
LIFT WISCONSIN PAYS THE COST,
AND THERE IS A COST OF ACCESSING
THE RECORDS FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE DATA BASE.
THERE'S NO COST TO ACCESSING
C-CAP RECORDS, BUT WHEN YOU WANT
TO CLEAR YOUR RECORDS FROM THE
SAME DATA BASE THAT LANDLORDS
AND EMPLOYERS USE, WHICH IN
WISCONSIN IS CALLED WORKS, THE
WISCONSIN ONLINE -- NOT THE
ONLINE COURT SYSTEM, I FORGET
THE ACRONYM, BUT THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE DATA BASE THAT IS
USED TO PULL UP ARRESTING
CONVICTION RECORDS, AND THAT
COSTS $7 PER RECORD, AND SO
RIGHT NOW, LIFT WISCONSIN IS
PAYING THAT COST.
WE ARE HOPING, EVENTUALLY, IF
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SEES
HOW USEFUL THIS TOOL IS IT WILL
WAIVE THAT COST MAKING IT EVEN
EASIER FOR US TO HELP MORE
PEOPLE.
WE BEGAN THIS PROJECT WITH A $1
MILLION AWARD FROM SCHMIDT
FUTURES, AN ORGANIZATION STARTED
BY ERIC SCHMIDT, WHO STARTED
GOOGLE, AND THAT AWARD WAS THE
CULMINATION OF A COMPETITION
THAT LIFT PARTICIPATED IN A
COUPLE YEARS AGO CALLED "DREAM
UP WISCONSIN" WHICH WAS A
UNIVERSITY PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
TO INCREASE INCOMES OF DANE
COUNTY RESIDENTS OVER TIME.
WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN WINNING
THAT MONEY.
MUCH OF THE MONEY HAS GONE TO
DEVELOPING THE TECHNOLOGY, AND
OTHER MONEY WILL, OBVIOUSLY, GO
TO PAYING TO ACCESS THESE
RECORDS AND MAINTAINING THE
TECHNOLOGY, AND THEN LIFT IS
ALSO PAYING LEGAL SERVICE
PROVIDERS WHO PROVIDE NECESSARY
SERVICES TO PEOPLE WHO NEED
ADDITIONAL HELP, AND SO, FOR
EXAMPLE, WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT
WITH WITH LEGAL ACTION OF
WISCONSIN TO HELP INDIVIDUALS
WHO MIGHT NEED MORE ADDITIONAL
HELP IN CASES WHERE THEY CAN'T
JUST DO IT THROUGH THE TOOL
ONLINE.
>> SO IT IS FREE FOR PEOPLE TO
USE.
WITHOUT IT, WHAT ARE THE RIPPLE
EVENING -- EFFECTS OF THE
COMPOUNDING BARRIERS AS SOMEONE
HAS THESE RECORDS THAT THEY
DON'T KNOW NEED TO BE CLEARED,
DON'T KNOW HOW TO CLEAR, AND ON
THE FLIPSIDE, WHAT BENEFIT DOES
IT HAVE TO SOCIETY TO HAVE
PEOPLE HAVE THESE RECORDS CLEAR
AND HAVE THE BARRIERS REMOVED
FOR PEOPLE LOOKING FOR BETTER
EMPLOYMENT, BETTER HOUSING?
>> WELL, BACKGROUND CHECKS, AS
WE KNOW, ARE REQUIRED FOR MOST
JOBS, AND TYPICALLY, JOBS THAT
PROVIDE BETTER STABILITY, PAY,
AND BENEFITS, AND SO IF YOU HAVE
A BACKGROUND CHECK THAT'S CLEAR
OR IN BETTER SHAPE THAN IT WAS
BEFORE YOU CLEARED THE RECORDS
THAT WERE ELIGIBLE TO BE TAKEN
OFF YOUR BACKGROUND CHECK, YOUR
CHANCES OF EMPLOYMENT GO UP.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN RESEARCH
RELATED TO CLEARING CRIMINAL
RECORDS, BUT THERE HAS BEEN
RESEARCH RELATED TO EXPUNGEMENT.
IN PARTICULAR, THERE WAS A VERY
LARGE RESEARCH PROJECT
UNDERTAKEN IN MICHIGAN A COUPLE
OF YEARS AGO OF CASES WHERE
EXPUNGEMENTS WERE ABLE TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED WITH A NOTICEABLE
INCREASE IN ECONOMIC BENEFITS
FOR INDIVIDUALS, BOTH IN JOBS
AND IN WAGES.
THOSE JOBS AND WAGES TRICKLE
DOWN TO SUPPORT FAMILIES, AND
THEY SUPPORT OUR ECONOMY, AND
YOU REMEMBER THESE ARE NOT CASES
OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE ENGAGED
IN CRIMINAL CONDUCT THAT PRESENT
A DANGER TO SOCIETY.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE
BEEN ARRESTED FOR SOMETHING THAT
THEY DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO
WITH.
SO GIVING THEM THE ABILITY TO
WORK AND EARN MONEY AND GET
HOUSING IS AN INDIVIDUAL
BENEFIT, BUT IT ULTIMATELY IS A
SOCIETAL BENEFIT.
>> THIS JUST KIND OF ONE STEP
FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION, IS THIS
JUST A TOE IN THE WATER?
DO YOU CAT CATEGORIZE THIS AS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM?
>> IT IS A TOE IN THE WATER IN
THAT WE ARE HELPING PEOPLE CLEAR
CRIMINAL RECORDS.
WE'RE NOT HELPING PEOPLE WITH
EXPLUNGEMENTS BECAUSE OUR
EXPUNGEMENT LAW IS VERY
CHALLENGING IN WISCONSIN, AND
WE'RE NOT HELPING PEOPLE WITH
OTHER TYPES OF BACKGROUND CHECK
CHALLENGES SUCH AS WHEN IF YOU,
SUCH AS CASES OF MISTAKEN
IDENTITY, AND IF SOMETHING SHOWS
UP ON THE BACKGROUND CHECK AND
THAT WAS NOT ME, IT IS MORE
COMPLICATED, AND YOU CAN'T DO IT
EASILY USING AN ONLINE TOOL.
THAT REQUIRES HELP, AND USUALLY
LEGAL HELP, AND SO IT IS A STEP
IN THE WATER BECAUSE THE SYSTEMS
ARE CHALLENGING TO GO THROUGH.
HOPEFULLY, BY TAKING THESE
STEPS, ONE STEP AT A TIME, WE
ARE HOPING THAT IT WILL LEAD TO
SYSTEM CHANGE SO THAT CRIMINAL
JUSTICE LAWS, EXPUNGEMENT LAWS,
CRIMINAL RECORDS LAWS, SUCH AS
KEEPING A CRIMINAL CASE ON C-CAP
OR ON YOUR CRIMINAL HISTORY FOR
15 YEARS WHEN YOU NEVER ENGAGED
IN ANY OTHER CRIMINAL CONDUCT,
THOSE KINDS OF POLICY DECISIONS
AND LEGISLATIVE DECISIONS WILL
ULTIMATELY BE AS A RESULT OF THE
WORK WE ARE DOING.
>> AND IN THIS TIME WHEN WE HAVE
SEEN A LARGE RECKONING IN HOW
DIFFERENT RACES INTERACT WITH
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM,
WITH POLICE, ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR
MORE IMPACTED BY THESE RECORDS
BEING AROUND AND IMPACTING
EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING, AND
COULD THIS ALSO BE A STEP
TOWARDS GREATER EQUITY IN THAT
AREA?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS TOTALLY A RACIAL EQUITY
TOOL.
I MEAN, IT IS WELL-DOCUMENTED
THAT POLICING IMPACTS PEOPLE OF
COLOR MUCH MORE THAN WHITE
PEOPLE.
THAT MEANS WHEN THEY ARE
ARRESTED, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE
LONGER ARREST RECORDS.
SO AND THAT'S GOING TO FURTHER
HAMPER THEIR ABILITY TO OBTAIN
BETTER JOBS, HOUSING, AND
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.
IT DEFINITELY HAS AN IMPACT ON
ADDRESSING RACIAL INEQUITIES IN
OUR SYSTEM.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE,
MARSHA MANSFIELD, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF LEGAL INTERVENTIONS
FOR TRANSFORMING WISCONSIN,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US
TODAY.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> FOR MORE FROM "HERE & NOW"
AND PBS WISCONSIN, YOU CAN VISIT
PBSWISCONSIN.ORG AND THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON "NOON
WEDNESDAY".