Alfred Cleveland served time behind bars and said the search for a job is difficult for those with criminal records. It is hard to find employers who do not stigmatize former inmates, he said. 

“I’ve tried to Uber,” Cleveland said. “I’ve tried to Lyft. I’ve tried to work at Fedex, and the U.S. Post Office, but I was denied every time.” 

“Under current law today,” said State Rep. Brett Hillyer. “There are 71,000 individuals with criminal records that would be eligible to be sealed.” 

The sponsors of the proposal said a sealed record creates employment opportunities for rehabilitated Ohioans and protects employers from being penalized for hiring rehabilitated citizens. Hillyer said they would be immune from civil liability on negligent hiring and negligent supervision grounds. Under the bill, a record could be sealed if formerly incarcerated people have paid their debt to society. Hillyer said this could be done by completing probation or paying restitution to the victim.

Sealing records is already a simple process in Ohio, said the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association.

“Ohio already has one of the most liberal record-sealing policies in the United States,” said Louis Tobin, executive director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association. “Allowing people to seal the records of an unlimited number of misdemeanor, felony five, and felony four offenses. Records are sealed routinely. All people have to do is ask. Employers, for the most part, can already hire whoever they want.” 

“They deserve a second chance and they deserve to be able to move forward,” Cleveland said. 

The proposal is awaiting a bill number and still needs to be assigned to committee at the Ohio Statehouse.