Every person who has “lived experience” in the criminal justice system—an estimated one out of every three Americans—has a permanent record. Even after they have fully completed their sentences, their histories brand them as “ex-cons,” “ex-offenders,” and the like. That label sticks even for those whose offenses were decades ago for conduct that is no longer considered criminal.

Those with convictions have to “out” themselves repeatedly, and in almost every new situation, as they “check the box” that asks about criminal past on applications for apprenticeship programs, jobs, education, student loans, housing, business financing—making them easy targets for rejection, legal or not. Ex-offenders with drug busts when they were teens cannot chaperone their children’s school trips or coach their sports teams, be guardians for family members, or volunteer with community agencies. The overlap between criminal records and family intergenerational poverty is now beyond question.