ASKAngela Stanton King
Auntie Angie's House ← All six tools

Second Chance Pathway

Nobody hands you a map.
Here's one.

Tell us where you are right now. You'll get the actual next steps for your situation — not a page of links.

This is an information and referral navigator, not legal advice. It explains how the process works and points you at people licensed to do it. Deadlines and eligibility differ by state and by court, and a wrong assumption here can cost you a filing.

Where are you?

Record relief

Clean Slate, plainly

Some states now clear eligible records automatically, without a petition. As of July 2026, 14 states plus Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws — Missouri became the 14th in July 2026, Illinois the 13th (effective December 2025), and Virginia's entered implementation in July 2026. Verified · Clean Slate Initiative

Passed is not the same as running — several of these phase in over years, and each covers a different list of offenses. Check your own state's effective date before assuming anything cleared.

At the federal level, the Clean Slate Act of 2025 and the Fresh Start Act are still bills, not law. Pending legislation — do not rely on it

Who actually files this

Take it to someone licensed

This page gives information, never advice. Nobody here can tell you whether you qualify, what your odds are, or what to put on a petition — that is practicing law, and getting it wrong costs you a filing you may only get one shot at. These are the kinds of places that do it for real:

  • Legal aid in your state, and law school clinics — many run free record-clearing and expungement days.
  • A public defender's office, for anything still open or on supervision.
  • The Office of the Pardon Attorney (justice.gov/pardon) for federal pardons and commutations; your state's board of pardons and paroles for state convictions. The two are entirely separate processes.
  • Clemency clinics and nonprofits that prepare petitions — including Cando Clemency, which Angela advises.
  • The Clean Slate Initiative and the Collateral Consequences Resource Center, for state-by-state record-relief rules.
These are pointers, not endorsements. Nobody named here is a partner of this suite, has vetted it, or has agreed to take your case. A formal referral relationship is a legal relationship and has to go through counsel before this page claims one. Referral partnerships not yet established

Good to know

The First Step Act, plainly

The First Step Act became federal law in December 2018. For people in federal custody it did three things worth knowing. It fixed good-conduct time at 54 days per year of the sentence imposed, correcting an old formula that quietly capped it near 47. It created earned time credits — generally 10 to 15 days of credit for every 30 days of approved programming — which can move you into prerelease custody or supervised release sooner. And it barred the use of restraints on pregnant women in federal custody. Verified · federal statute & CRS R45558

Earned time credits are not open to everyone. Violent offenses, terrorism, trafficking, and a list of other convictions are excluded by statute. Ask the unit team for the exclusion list in writing rather than guessing.

It applies to federal prison. It does not cover state prisons or county jails, which is where most people are held. If your person is in a state facility, ask their counselor which state programs earn time there.