Hearing On Sealing Some Criminal Records in New York

Quinn: It’s 1-800-LAW-1010, 1800law1010.com.

Cantara: So I thought we were going to have Paul Harding on from Martin, Harding & Mazzotti, it’s Cassandra.

Quinn: Kazukenus is on the phone.

Cantara: Yeah, she’s on. I normally practice your name, so we’re saying it cold, but Quinn, Quinn nailed it, right?

Quinn: How you doing, Cassandra?

Cassandra: You guys are crushing it today.

Quinn: I feel like it.

Cassandra: You don’t even need practice.

Cantara: So I think this is interesting. There’s a hearing today in New York that’s gonna talk about sealing criminal records. So, right now, in New York, doesn’t expunge criminal records, you have to apply to have them sealed. But they’re talking about changing that law, right, Cassandra?

Cassandra: They are, yeah. It’s part of that criminal justice reform that gets talked about nationwide.

Quinn: But for what kind of levels of criminal behavior are we talking?

Cassandra: Well, I think, notably, it says non-violent, or/and not sex offenders. So I think that alleviates the majority of large fears from most people.

Cantara: So, under the current law…I think this is interesting, a person is eligible to apply to seal up to 2 records if at least 10 years have passed. So if I have 10, do I get to pick the 2 I wanna have sealed?

Quinn: That’s a great point.

Cassandra: It appears that way, but I don’t think it solves any of your problems if that’s what you’re doing.

Quinn: Pick the one where you punched the cop, Cantara.

Cantara: Either pick that one or should I pick the larceny?

Quinn: Pick the larceny, yeah.

Cantara: There’s so many to choose from, Cassandra.

Quinn: Get rid of that white-collar crime.

Cantara: So, is everyone on board? Is this gonna work? Is this gonna pass?

Cassandra: You know, I think it’s one of those things that there’s a lot of discussion nationwide, in New York especially, about criminal justice reform. Look at, you know, marijuana. A lot of [crosstalk 00:01:40]

Quinn: Right, I knew that was coming up.

Cassandra: Yep, I mean it is, it’s the epitome of what we’re looking at, right? I mean, marijuana [crosstalk 00:01:47]

Quinn: We need to wipe the slate clean with all these ridiculous marijuana charges that we’ve had for 30 years because we’re gonna federally clear marijuana at some point. And, you know…

Cassandra: They keep going into the judiciary hearings and then going nowhere in the House.

Quinn: Yeah, I know.

Cantara: Do we have to thank the Kardashians? Did this start with the Kardashians, prison reform?

Cassandra: It might work.

Quinn: Boy.

Cassandra: They seem to be able to do everything else.

Quinn: They put that lady on the map, didn’t they?

Cantara: Right.

Quinn: Yeah, yeah.

Cantara: I mean they really made it…I’m not even kidding, they made it a topic, you know.

Quinn: Boy.

Cantara: I wish I was [crosstalk 00:02:14]

Quinn: I refuse to thank them, but you might be right, I don’t know. They stepped it up.

Cantara: All right, so the hearing is today, we’ll keep an eye on this. And we love the explanation, Cassandra, thank you.

Quinn: You have anything on your record, Cassandra?

Cassandra: No, I am… Let’s be real here, I’m as clean as they can come.

Quinn: There you go.

Cantara: There has to be a place like, you know, you can log on to find out if you left…have money hidden somewhere. Can you go on and find out if you have a record? Like I might have a record I don’t even know about, from parking tickets, or something.

Quinn: You used to be a landlord, you should have, like, a direct link to one of those.

Cantara: I don’t, though, I don’t.

Quinn: All right…

Cassandra: There are ways, but you usually have to pay for them.

Cantara: All right, well…

Quinn: There you go.

Cantara: …they’re not that big of crimes.

Quinn: You’ve got 15 bucks, you get it for two days, you check your whole family, right?

Cantara: Thanks, Cassandra.

Cassandra: Thank you.

Quinn: 1-800-LAW-1010, 1800law1010.com.

Man: Quinn & Cantara.