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First State Lens
Civic Outcomes Atlas · Delaware
SOFT-LAUNCH PREVIEW
UPDATED 2026.05.10
BUILD 0.1.0
Implementation Tracker · SB 111 / SB 112 · 21 months in

Delaware's Clean Slate Act promised automatic expungement for nearly 600,000 cases. In 21 months, 3.2% have been cleared.

The 2021 Clean Slate Act was supposed to clear 594,537 eligible cases for 290,980 Delawareans through an automated monthly process beginning August 1, 2024. As of May 2026, fewer than 19,000 cases have been cleared. Governor Meyer has called the rollout "reprehensible." This dashboard tracks the gap between what the legislature promised and what the state has delivered.

Cases Identified as Eligible
594,537
Adult and juvenile records meeting mandatory expungement criteria, identified by DELJIS at the time of bill passage.
SOURCE · DELJIS / SB 111 FISCAL NOTE
Cases Cleared (May 2026)
~19,000/ 3.2%
Cleared since automated process began August 1, 2024. November 2024 baseline: 805 records (ACLU-DE).
SOURCE · WHYY · DELAWARE PUBLIC MEDIA · MAY 4 2026
Adults Carrying Eligible Records
290,980
Roughly 1 in 3 working-age Delawareans. Records affect access to jobs, housing, education, and federal employment.
SOURCE · DELJIS / SB 111 FISCAL NOTE
Projected Backlog at Current Pace
47years
At ~1,000 cases/month current throughput, the eligible backlog clears in ~2073. ACLU-DE estimates "20+ years" assuming further acceleration.
CALCULATED · 575,537 ÷ 1,011 ÷ 12
The Promise vs. The Reality
Proportional
Eligible cases identified by DELJIS 594,537
Cases cleared since August 2024 ~19,000 (3.2%)
Pennsylvania's first-year throughput, normalized to Delaware's population ~2.6M equivalent
Methodology note: Pennsylvania cleared 34M cases in its first year. Adjusted for population (DE ~1M, PA ~13M), that's an equivalent of ~2.6M cases per year — roughly 217× Delaware's per-capita pace. Caveats: PA seals records rather than destroys them, and PA had a longer runway. The directional gap is what matters.
Throughput Trajectory
Cumulative · Aug 2024 → May 2026
Cumulative cases cleared
Two confirmed data points; linear interpolation between. Trendline projects forward at observed monthly rate (~1,000/month).
Required vs. actual monthly pace
To clear the eligible backlog within the 22-month statutory implementation window: ~27,000 cases/month. Actual: ~1,000.
What Would It Take?
Backlog scenarios
Current pace
~1,000 cases per month
Cases cleared~19,000
Remaining575,537
Years to backlog clear~47.5
At present throughput the eligible backlog clears in ~2073, before any new eligible cases are added.
Five-year clear
~9,600 cases per month
Required throughput9.6× current
Pennsylvania-equivalent0.04×
Backlog cleared by2031
A reasonable interim target. Still far below PA's per-capita rate, but achievable with full automation as the law originally intended.
Statutory promise
~27,000 cases per month
22-month windowAug 24 → Jun 26
Required throughput27× current
StatusMissed
SB 111's fiscal note assumed full processing within the 22-month implementation window. That window closes in ~7 weeks.
On the Record
Recent statements
It's reprehensible that in 2021 we passed a law to automatically expunge records, and here we are in 2026 talking about how it still hasn't gotten done.
Gov. Matt Meyer · Ask Governor Meyer (WHYY) · May 4, 2026
If SBI continues at its current review rate, it could take Delaware over 20 years to get through the backlog.
John Reynolds, Deputy Policy & Advocacy Director · ACLU of Delaware
SBI will continue to evaluate each record for accuracy, and we are working with all parties involved to create a more efficient process.
Lt. Tyler Wright, State Bureau of Identification · Statement to Spotlight Delaware
That kind of coordination doesn't just happen on its own. It requires clear ownership and leadership. This leadership needs to come from the governor's office.
Matthew Rosen, Director of Research, Office of Gov. Meyer
Methodology & Sources
Public, citable
Source Used For Verified
DELJIS / SB 111 fiscal note
legis.delaware.gov		 Eligible-case totals (594,537 / 290,980 adults) 2026.05.10
WHYY · "It's reprehensible"
whyy.org · May 4, 2026		 ~19,000 cleared count, governor remarks 2026.05.10
Spotlight Delaware
spotlightdelaware.org · May 7, 2026		 SBI manual review process, agency statements 2026.05.10
ACLU of Delaware · Clean Slate Hub
aclu-de.org/csde		 805-case baseline (Nov 2024), 20-year projection 2026.05.10
Office of Defense Services
ods.delaware.gov/expungements		 Discretionary expungement context, fees 2026.05.10
Clean Slate Initiative · DE summary
cleanslatecop.search.org		 Implementation timeline, Pennsylvania benchmark 2026.05.10
BJS · NCHIP Award (DELJIS-CJIS)
bjs.ojp.gov		 Technical implementation context, system architecture 2026.05.10
Calculation notes: Monthly throughput (~1,000) derived from delta between November 2024 (805 cleared) and May 2026 (~19,000 cleared). Years-to-clear assumes constant rate and no additional eligible cases entering the system. PA per-capita comparison uses 2024 Census population estimates. All figures rounded for legibility; underlying calculations preserved in /methodology/clean-slate-kpis.md.