Clean Slate

Clean Slate

Isn't it brilliant to have your record clean after you had done something bad? As a matter of fact, a program in San Francisco call, Clean Slate, claims that it could. If you are one of the victims, Clean Slate might be something you want to consider. By using complex state law, "the Clean Slate program run by the San Francisco Public defender's office got more than 1,500 criminal cases cleared last year." On the bright side of this program, it will help those who want to make up their lives after serving time in prison. In contrast, once a person's record is clear, how would we know what they had done in the past? Would the public's safety be threatened? There are still many arguments against this program.

Not everyone is bad naturally. Everyone deserves a second chance. When a person commits a crime, he/she might commit it without thinking; he/she might have committed the crime by anger. Thus, a second chance should be issued to him/her. Conceivably, when that person is issued that second chance, he/she would treasure it more than ever before. For example, a baby has never played with one of her dolls; but one day, another baby took that doll from her, she would now want to play with that doll. The example shows how people don't know what they have until it's gone. For these particular individuals, Clean Slate program would best fit their situation. The program will give them the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.

Alternatively, dreadful criminals could take advantage of Clean Slate. Demarris Evans, a deputy public defender, says "Once a record is removed, the person is legally entitled to tell a potential employer that he or she has not been convicted of a crime." In this case, a criminal could use Clean Slate to clear their criminal records and simultaneously make up other records, and then again they would clean them with Clean Slate.

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