We don't believe in throwing people away. We believe in changing what throws them away.
Mass incarceration, collateral consequences, and negative social determinants of health don't just harm individuals — they're systemic injustices that trap entire communities in cycles of poverty, exclusion, and poor health.
I know what it feels like to be seen only for your past. To be told — silently, and sometimes loudly — that you don't belong. That no matter how much you've grown, how hard you've worked, or how deeply you've changed, a criminal record is all people will ever see.
I've been arrested more than 30 times and been on trial for my freedom 5 times in two different states.
As a young adult I eventually ended up in prison for possession and possession with intent to deliver. I've been denied housing, shut out of jobs, and overlooked for opportunities — not because I wasn't qualified, but because of a record that followed me like a shadow. It took 22 years after my first convictions before my record was expunged. Before that, I received a full pardon from the Governor of Nebraska. I thought to myself it shouldn't take a governor's signature or two decades of waiting to be treated with dignity.
Everyone deserves a second chance. A real one. That's why I founded Clear Tomorrow KC — to make sure others don't have to fight the same uphill battle I did. Because the truth is, it's not just about individual choices, it's about systems. Systems that lock people out of jobs, housing, education, and hope. Systems that especially impact Black and Brown communities, people living in poverty, and those already pushed to the limits.
Through expungement services, policy advocacy, and supportive care, we help people move forward — not just legally, but emotionally and economically. We walk beside them as they reclaim their lives and rewrite their stories. We challenge the systems that were never designed to serve us.
Three forces, one system of harm.
Mass incarceration, collateral consequences, and social determinants of health don't just intersect — they compound one another to produce preventable harm.
Mass incarceration refers to the exponential growth of the U.S. prison and jail population beginning in the 1970s. The U.S. now holds nearly 2 million people behind bars, and over 70 million carry a record — a scale unmatched anywhere in the world.
"Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings."
How We Got Here
War on Drugs
President Nixon declared drug abuse "public enemy number one," launching federal drug policing and tougher laws.
Anti-Drug Abuse Acts
Established the 100-to-1 crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing disparity, introduced mandatory minimums, and expanded asset forfeiture.
Three Strikes & the Crime Bill
Three-strikes laws spread to 28 states; $12.5 billion in federal grants funded new prison construction.
Prison Boom Peak
Despite crime declining since the 1990s, incarceration rates stayed high — revealing that policy, not crime levels, drives prison populations.
Every criminal conviction adds to a database that employers, landlords, and licensing boards use to exclude people. States have passed over 44,000 laws and regulations imposing penalties post-conviction — often automatic and non-reviewable. People burdened by these consequences face more poverty and instability, which feeds back into the likelihood of re-arrest.
When the sentence ends, the punishment often continues. Collateral consequences are the legal, regulatory, and social penalties imposed automatically upon a conviction — but which are never part of the actual sentence.
Automatically triggered by a conviction, with no discretion involved.
Can be imposed by a judge, employer, or licensing board on a case-by-case basis.
Not typically explained during sentencing or a plea bargain — people find out the hard way.
There are more than 46,000 laws and administrative rules in the U.S. that impose restrictions or punishments after a conviction — often without recourse or transparency. The precedent dates back to Hawker v. New York (1898), where the Supreme Court upheld barring people with felony convictions from practicing medicine, ruling it a "regulatory measure," not additional punishment.
Where the Consequences Land
- Background checks routinely result in denials
- Licensing boards can revoke or refuse credentials
- Nearly 9 in 10 employers use background screening
- Public housing bans affect individuals and families
- Landlords deny leases based on any conviction
- Homelessness is a common outcome post-release
- Drug convictions can disqualify students from Pell Grants
- Enrollment can be denied based on past charges
- In Missouri, voting rights are lost during incarceration, parole, and probation
- Jury service and public office can be permanently barred
- Records can affect parental rights
- Often used against parents in family court
- Missouri enforces the federal SNAP ban for certain drug felonies
- TANF eligibility is similarly restricted
Media, policy, and culture still define people as "convicts," "felons," or "criminals" — labels that erase their humanity and potential. At Clear Tomorrow KC, we reject those labels. No one should be defined by the worst moment of their life.
Justice is a health intervention. Mass incarceration functions as a structural determinant of health — it influences access to the very conditions that support health and wellbeing, and collateral consequences turn a criminal record into a long-term barrier to those conditions.
Health & Healthcare Access
10–12% of people in jails and prisons are diagnosed with major depression; about 4% have psychotic illnesses. One Iowa study found up to 99% of mental illness diagnoses occurred for the first time during incarceration.
Over 80% of formerly incarcerated individuals reported using drugs or alcohol; opioid overdose rates are nearly 40x higher after release. Each year spent behind bars shortens life expectancy by two years.
Economic Stability
Formerly incarcerated men earn 40% less annually, losing nearly $179,000 by age 48. Expungement can reverse this — one study found an average income increase of over $6,000 once records were cleared.
Criminal records create major barriers to housing, including public housing, contributing to high rates of homelessness after release — which itself increases the likelihood of recidivism.
Ending mass incarceration, dismantling collateral consequences, and investing in health equity aren't separate issues — they're interdependent justice and health priorities.
Systems change means transforming root causes, not managing symptoms.
Systems change transforms the structures, policies, relationships, and power dynamics within a system to achieve long-lasting, equitable outcomes — rethinking policing, courts, prisons, healthcare, housing, and education together, not one at a time.
Policies
The laws, regulations, and institutional requirements created by people — and changeable by people.
Practices
How systems actually operate in everyday decisions, regardless of what the policy technically says.
Resource Flows
Where funding, services, and opportunities are actually distributed to people.
Relationships
How institutions, courts, employers, and communities work together — or don't.
Power Dynamics
Who has authority, who's designated authority, and who gets marginalized in the process.
Mental Models
The deeply held beliefs, biases, and assumptions that keep old systems in place.
| Area | Traditional System | Systems Change Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Policing | Punitive, reactive responses | Community-based safety models |
| Sentencing | Mandatory minimums | Restorative justice, individualized sentencing |
| Incarceration | Mass imprisonment | Decarceration, rehabilitation, reentry support |
| Juvenile Justice | Detention-focused | Trauma-informed care, education, diversion |
| Racial Equity | Biased enforcement | Anti-racist policies, representation in policy |
Real second chances aren't possible without real systems change.
Direct services like expungement are critical, but they're only one part of a much bigger picture. Advocacy is at the core of everything we do.
Ending Mass Incarceration
Advocating for alternatives to jail and prison that prioritize restoration, prevention, and community wellbeing.
Building Real Community Safety
Supporting strategies that center healing and stability — because true safety comes from strong communities, not more punishment.
Expanding Expungement Access
Supporting legislative reforms that make expungement more automatic, affordable, and widely accessible.
Ending Collateral Consequences
Pushing for policies that eliminate barriers to employment, housing, education, healthcare, and civic engagement.
Addressing Health Inequities
Advocating for investment in healthcare and social supports that address the root causes tied to incarceration and poverty.
Restoring Civic Power
Restoring voting rights, leadership roles, and public participation for justice-impacted people.
Community-Informed
Shaped by listening sessions and direct outreach with justice-impacted individuals and families.
Policy-Driven
We track and shape legislation on criminal records, healthcare access, housing, and economic mobility.
Coalition-Led
We lead and participate in cross-sector coalitions that build power and center justice-impacted communities.
Narrative-Focused
We work to transform public narratives about incarceration, second chances, and public safety.
Building real chances. Together.
At Clear Tomorrow KC, we believe transformation happens through collaboration — not isolation. We work alongside courts, schools, mental health providers, grassroots leaders, civic institutions, and funders to dismantle collateral consequences and build pathways to opportunity.
Our partners help make expungements possible.
They help us expand mental wellness access.
They help us shift systems — not just outcomes.
Together, we are creating brighter tomorrows.
We don't do this alone — and neither should you.
KC Municipal Court Community Coalition
A cross-sector collaborative led by Johnny Waller Jr. in partnership with presiding Judge Courtney A. Wachal, bringing together government, legal, health, housing, education, and social service partners to reimagine how Kansas City supports people involved with municipal court.
"Partnering for Justice. Innovating for Change."
Collateral Consequences Accountability Project
A community-driven initiative that identifies, documents, and challenges the discriminatory policies and institutional practices that uphold lifelong barriers for people with criminal records — driving equitable policy reform and systemic accountability.
Interested in joining a coalition?
Whether you're a service provider, community member, policy advocate, or someone impacted by the court system — we need your voice.