“[Discrimination against people with criminal records has] always been bad — landlords using [criminal records] to discriminate when people are applying for housing, employers using [criminal records] at lower levels to discriminate against people and matters of employment,” said Noah Risley, a case manager at Justice4Housing. “The current process to seal your CORI is very long. It’s very cumbersome.”

Risley added that the criminal legal system is also applied unevenly, often mirroring existing racial and economic disparities.