BAKERSFIELD, Cali. (KGET) — A proposal to seal the criminal records of many ex-felons in California has cleared a major hurdle in the state legislature and now is just one signature away from becoming law. Known as SB-731, the legislation would seal conviction and arrest records for ex-felons as long as they have not been convicted of another felony in the four years since completing their sentence. Democratic State Senator Maria Elena Durazo of Los Angeles authored the legislation, arguing “the completion of a prison sentence should pave the way for a complete return to participate fully in society.” Durazo stresses the proposal would not include people who were convicted of violent felonies and those who have registered as a sex offender. The governor still has a little over a week to decide whether he will sign the bill.
We want to know: Should criminal records be sealed for non-violent offenders?
What happened to transparency ?Everyone can participate fully in society as long as they follow the laws and rules. If you have a criminal past then it should be accessible to employers.
Eddie Sugden, Facebook User
All offenders
Michelet Kathleen, Facebook User
This is a non-scientific poll conducted by 17 News. It is posted to KGET’s social media sites daily for varying amounts of time at varying times of day. Viewers can vote more than once. It is not representative of Kern County as a whole.