For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - 62

The Implementation of Pennsylvania's New Limited Access Order Law: Will Concealing Misdemeanor Convictions Actually Make a Difference? Michael J. Engle and Meredith A. Lowry 62 For The Defense | Vol. 1, Issue 3 T raditionally, those who are arrested, charged, and convicted of misdemeanor offenses in Pennsylvania are seldom eligible to expunge or conceal their criminal records from the public. As a result, individuals who have been convicted of a misdemeanor offense face various negative collateral consequences, particularly with securing employment. However, on February 16, 2016, Governor Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 166, also known as Act 5, into law. Act 5 will allow individuals with certain misdemeanor convictions to petition the Court of Common Pleas to seal those misdemeanor convictions from the public. The law will go into effect on November 14, 2016. In Pennsylvania, most newly initiated criminal cases are misdemeanor offenses. For example, in 2013, out of the 170,748 newly initiated criminal cases, 62.4% were misdemeanor offenses.1 Similarly, approximately 60-70% of the newly initiated criminal cases in 2014 were misdemeanors in most counties in Pennsylvania.2 Out of the 100,000 or so individuals who are arrested and charged with a misdemeanor every year, many are convicted of the misdemeanors, and those convictions are subsequently available for the public to view.3 Studies have shown that individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system who apply for jobs are less likely to be considered for employment.4 An audit study conducted in 2003 found that a criminal record, in particular, a felony drug conviction, reduces the likelihood of a callback after applying and interviewing for a job by at least 50%; the negative effect of a criminal record is even greater for African Americans.5 The study also found that employers used the existence of a criminal record as a way to screen out candidates, "without attempting to probe deeper into the possible context or complexities of the situation."6 Although this study involved a felony drug conviction, a misdemeanor conviction has proven to be just as detrimental to employment opportunities.7 In Pennsylvania, an employer who re-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016

Contents
For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - 1
For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - 2
For the Defense - Volume 1, Issue 3 - 2016 - Contents
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