Please join our colleagues at the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice for their upcoming “Lunch & Learn: MO Clean Slate Initiative,” hosted virtually on Friday, March 24 at noon. Here are the details they provide:
One in three Missourians has a criminal record. Any criminal record – even an arrest that never led to conviction – restricts access to jobs, housing, education and other basics. While many Missourians with criminal records are eligible to have certain non-violent records cleared, few know they qualify or are able to navigate the state’s current petition process due to expense and complexity.
MO Rep. Phil Christofanelli and former MO Senator Jeff Smith will describe efforts to implement a Clean Slate initiative in MIssouri and help us gain an understanding about the impact it would have on lives and communities. Similar efforts in other states have demonstrated the benefits of such programs, including safer communities, stronger families, and a healthier economy.
Rep. Christofanelli has sponsored MO HB 352, a bill that would automate the expungement process and would create the “Missouri Expungement Fund,” a fund dedicated to the creation, operation, and maintenance of the program. The National Clean Slate initiative estimates that 518,000 Missourians would benefit from the legislation within the first couple of years.
Speakers:
Phil Christofanelli, MO State Representative, District 104
Rep. Phil Christofanelli represents part of St. Charles County, including part of St. Peters. He was elected to his first term in November 2016.
Christofanelli graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2011 and a Juris Doctorate in 2021. Prior to his election to the House, he served on the Missouri Republican State Executive Committee. Additionally, he worked in the United States House of Representatives as a Press Secretary to a Member of Congress.
Christofanelli currently works with Markell Estate Planning [and Elder Law] in Saint Charles County, focusing on wills, trusts, probate, estate planning, and small business law.
Jeff Smith, executive director, Missouri Workforce Housing Association
Jeff Smith leads the Missouri Workforce Housing Association, a group of 200+ organizations that develop quality affordable housing. He also advises organizations that help formerly incarcerated people, and consults for several nonprofit organizations involved in criminal justice reform, education reform, and civil rights advocacy. Previously, he taught in The New School’s public policy graduate program and served in the Missouri Senate, sponsoring and passing legislation reforming education, environmental, and criminal justice -policy. The documentary film Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?, short-listed for a 2006 Academy Award, chronicled Smith’s narrow 2004 congressional campaign loss.
Smith has written books on political parties, St. Louis racial inequality, and most recently, the critically acclaimed Mr. Smith Goes to Prison, which blends memoir and policy advocacy; he’s also penned academic articles and op-eds for the New York Times, The Atlantic, and other outlets. Smith, whose TED talk lauded prison entrepreneurship, chairs St. Louis County’s jail advisory board and serves on several non-profit boards. He earned a BA in Black Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and an MA and PhD in Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis.
Co-sponsor: Jewish Community Relations Council
The Ashrei Foundation is a proud partner and supporter of the Missouri Clean Slate Initiative.