A Life Impacted: Elvina's Story with The Clean Slate Initiative
A Life Impacted stories highlight the individuals and families whose lives are changed through the work of our investees. These stories offer a deeper look at how expanded access to opportunity can create lasting social and economic mobility.
When she was 27, Elvina Smith spent six days in jail in Wayne County, Michigan, for shoplifting. After she was released, she endured a year of probation—traveling miles away to meet regularly with an officer.
There, Elvina was subjected to cumbersome and, at times, embarrassing drug and alcohol tests, despite her results consistently showing no signs of substance use. Though the conviction was Elvina’s first and only, it affected nearly every aspect of her life.
Nearly two decades and two daughters later, Elvina’s record remained marred. She tried hard to build a better life for herself and her family in Michigan. But because of her record, Elvina’s job and housing applications were routinely denied. She was unable to serve as a chaperone for her daughters’ school field trips. And any personal and professional goals that required a background check were automatically out of the question.
Because of The Clean Slate Initiative‘s work to advance automated record expungement across the US, all of the barriers Elvina faced were liftedwhen Michigan passed its clean slate law, which went into effect in 2023.
That April, during Second Chance Month, Elvina was notified about an automatic expungement fair hosted by Safe & Just Michigan, a nonprofit group supported by The Clean Slate Initiative.
On April 11, 2023—the very first day Michigan’s clean slate law took effect—Elvina’s record was expunged.
For Elvina, April 11, 2023, was the day the rest of her life began.
After her record was cleared, she received a promotion at work and went back to school to study accounting. Additionally, she’s working toward her real estate license—something you cannot obtain with a felony on your record in the state of Michigan.
Elvina is now free to pursue her goals, be more engaged in her daughters’ lives, and breathe easier knowing that a 17-year-old mistake will no longer haunt her.
As it works to pass and implement laws expanding record clearance of eligibility and accessibility, The Clean Slate Initiative is making more stories like Elvina’s possible.
“I have a felony. This is not just who I am. It’s something that happened. Everyone deserves the opportunity for a better life—everyone.”
Elvina Smith, The Clean Slate Initiative recipient