Download The Salvation Army's Submission to the Petition of Eric Knight and 156 others (PDF, 322KB)
The Salvation Army supports the petition of Eric Knight and 156 others, which requests that the House amend the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 to apply to individuals who have been sentenced to a custodial sentence of 12 months or less, once a period of twenty years has passed since the date of last sentencing.
The Salvation Army notes that there was cross-party support in the original select committee report for the concept of the Biblical cycles of renewal and forgiveness. These concepts are particularly cogent for The Salvation Army Reintegration Services which works with ex-offenders who have limited or no other means of support in their Reintegration journey. The Salvation Army hopes to offer the Select Committee a grounded view that is not naïve but also one that is not fatalistic, by always maintaining the hope in people’s ability to live meaningful and healthy lives beyond their past engagement in the criminal justice system.