Stories

The Waiting Workforce

JPMorganChase is helping remove barriers to employment for people with criminal records. Together, we can help make second chances happen.

April 1, 2024

One in three Americans has some kind of arrest or conviction record.

Even after they’ve fulfilled their justice system obligations, many still face significant barriers to finding meaningful employment and accessing well-paying jobs.

The complex paperwork needed to clear their records keeps millions of people from supporting their families and communities—and it costs the US up to $87 billion a year in economic growth.

To create awareness for this opportunity, we commissioned an art installation using the same legal paperwork to create 38 statues representing each state that had yet to enact Clean Slate legislation as of 2024. The installation appeared in Independence Mall in Philadelphia in April 2024 before moving to our Madison Ave. headquarters in New York City. We chose the site in front of Philadelphia's historic Independence Hall to recognize Pennsylvania as the first state to enact Clean Slate legislation. JPMorganChase commissioned art collective The Glue Society to develop the installation.

Clean Slate legislation establishes a framework for automatically sealing or clearing eligible criminal records, opening opportunities for more people to enter the workforce. It was first enacted in the state of Pennsylvania.

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The Waiting Workforce

00:02:20

Millions of Americans with criminal records face barriers to meaningful employment. This ‘waiting workforce’ presents a missed economic opportunity. 

Emotional music plays.

 

Woman With Long Braided Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

I was a 19-year-old kid, I had never been in trouble before.

 

Woman With Long Brown Hair and Green Eyes:

 

18 years old, just smoking weed in the dorms.

 

Man With Slicked-Back Dark Hair and Hazel Eyes:

 

Now I had a permanent record, and I had to deal with that.

 

Man With Short Black Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

I couldn’t vote, I couldn’t be a taxi cab driver…

 

Woman With Long Braided Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

You don’t get housing opportunities…

 

Bald Man With A Thick Salt-and-Pepper Beard:

 

Me trying to get jobs...

 

Side note:

 

He heaves a heavy sigh.

 

Bald Man With A Thick Salt-and-Pepper Beard:

 

...It followed me.

 

Man With Slicked-Back Dark Hair and Hazel Eyes:

 

I began to go through this expungement process, every step costs money, every step takes time.

 

Woman With Straight Blonde Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

It can cost upwards of $10,000 per case.

 

Man With Short Black Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

Do I have the means to do it? Do I need an attorney?

 

Man With Blue Eyes and A Goatee:

 

And all you are is paperwork.

 

Man With Slicked-Back Dark Hair and Hazel Eyes:

 

When I actually walked up to this piece and I see all these people, faceless and nameless… I look at that sculpture and I say “that is me.” I feel like one of these people who’s constantly waiting.

 

Man With Short Black Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

I’m like, those are people burdened by mountains of documents, mountains of paper.

 

Woman With Long Brown Hair and Green Eyes:

 

For me, Clean Slate legislation would mean a new lease on life…

 

Woman With Straight Blonde Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

Educational opportunities, employment opportunities, housing opportunities… It would be life changing.

 

Man With Slicked-Back Dark Hair and Hazel Eyes:

 

It touches you very deeply to understand that there is maybe a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Woman With Long Braided Hair and Brown Eyes:

 

Yeah, my second chance, it’s definitely coming.

 

Bald Man With A Thick Salt-and-Pepper Beard:

 

Might have done some wrong. Doesn’t mean that you can’t change and do some right.

 

END

Creating more second chances

JPMorganChase is helping remove barriers to employment for those with eligible criminal records—with our own second chance approach in hiring and encouraging more employers to do the same, and by supporting common-sense policy solutions, like Clean Slate legislation.

By creating an environment where a fresh start is possible, our goal is to create greater economic opportunity for more people. This can reduce recidivism, improve safety and strengthen the economy, and help individuals, families and communities thrive.

Learn more

Clean Slate in every state

Working with organizations like the Clean Slate Initiative, JPMorganChase supports common-sense legislation at the state and federal levels to automatically clear eligible records once justice system obligations have been fulfilled. These laws streamline the process of expunging eligible records and boost employment opportunities.

Learn more
Tiffany, TX
“

When big organizations get involved, it means that not only myself, but others will actually get their second chance. And that's huge.

Tiffany, TX

Amida, FL
“

It's crazy to think of how many people have been held back and what they could have accomplished in America and the world.

Amida, FL

Data source: Brennan Center for Justice.

All individuals featured in The Waiting Workforce video are real people sharing their real stories. Participants compensated.​ 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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