Mapping Disparity: Anchoring the Clean Slate Act
“Research only matters if it reaches the people who can act on it.”
As part of a broader effort to develop data-driven research to support the need for justice reforms, we published a report analyzing Criminal Conviction Trends Across New York State. Alongside the report, I developed a series of heat maps offering accessible visual illustrations of racial and county-wide disparities in NYS convictions — designed specifically to support policymakers in communicating these findings making the case for criminal justice reform to legislatures.
The maps gave policymakers something data tables alone couldn't: a clear, immediate, visual argument. For each county, the maps showed total convictions and conviction rates per 1,000 people, the proportion of people carrying a first conviction, the proportion of people for whom a misdemeanor was their highest conviction, and stark racial disparity ratios — comparing conviction rates for Black, Hispanic, Asian, and white New Yorkers against their share of the general population.
The goal was to support the petition for New York's Clean Slate Initiative — legislation that would automatically seal the criminal records of New Yorkers who had served their time, removing a barrier to employment, housing, and opportunity that disproportionately affected communities of color.
In November 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Clean Slate Act into law — automatically sealing criminal records for approximately 2.3 million New Yorkers.
Numbers tell part of the story. Visualization, accessibility, and clarity tell the rest. That's where research becomes change.
Convictions in 2019 by County
Total convictions & conviction rate per 1,000 people by county in 2019.
People with a Conviction in 2019 by County
Total number of people with a conviction & conviction rate per 1,000 people by county in 2019.
People with a First Conviction in 2019 by County
People who had no prior convictions from an earlier year (their earliest conviction was in 2019).
Disparities within Counties Impacting Black People: % Convictions vs Census
The darker the purple, the more Black people are overrepresented in convictions relative to general population, yellow means the opposite.
Disparities within Counties Impacting Hispanic People: % Convictions vs Census
The darker the purple, the more Hispanic people are overrepresented in convictions relative to general population, yellow means the opposite.
Disparities within Counties Impacting White People: % Convictions vs Census
Purple means white people are overrepresented in convictions relative to general population, yellow means the opposite.
In November 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Clean Slate Act into law — automatically sealing criminal records for approximately 2.3 million New Yorkers. The maps were part of the evidence base that made the argument impossible to ignore.