JPMorgan Chase is helping remove barriers to employment for people with criminal records. Together, we can make second chances happen.
Even after they’ve fulfilled their justice system obligations, many still face significant barriers to finding meaningful employment.
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 has yet to enact Clean Slate legislation. The installation will be live through the end of April and is located at Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
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.
Learn more about how to create more opportunities for this Waiting Workforce.
JPMorgan Chase 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 about JPMorgan Chase’s second chance efforts.
“When big organizations get involved, it means that not only myself, but others will actually get their second chance. And that's huge.”
“It's crazy to think of how many people have been held back and what they could have accomplished in America and the world.”
Working with organizations like the Clean Slate Initiative, JPMorgan Chase 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 about the Clean Slate Initiative.
JPMorgan Chase is a founding member of the Second Chance Business Coalition, a group of 50 large private-sector companies dedicated to providing career pathway opportunities for people with criminal records.
Learn more about the ways businesses can help give people a second chance and help their companies grow.
The Waiting Workforce installation is available for public viewing in April 2024 in Philadelphia, Penn. Its site, in front of Philadelphia’s historic Independence Hall, was chosen to recognize Pennsylvania as the first state to enact Clean Slate legislation. JPMorgan Chase commissioned art collective The Glue Society to develop the installation.