In addition, contrary to the fears of critics, people with expunged records break the law again at very low rates. Indeed, we found that their crime rates are considerably lower than those of Michigan’s general adult population . That may be in part because expungement reduces recidivism.

But another likely reason is that expungement recipients aren’t high risk to begin with. Like most states, Michigan requires a waiting period before expungement (five years after a person’s last interaction with law enforcement). Research in criminology indicates that people with records who go several years without another conviction are unlikely to offend again.

To be sure, if expanded laws cut down waiting periods or otherwise loosened eligibility requirements, the broader pools of recipients might have a higher baseline crime risk. But even then, there’s simply no reason to believe that expungement would increase those baseline crime risks. Again, if anything, access to jobs, housing and other benefits should reduce overall levels of crime.

So here’s the bad news: Hardly anyone gets expungements. According to information Michigan State Police provided to us, Michigan grants about 2,500 a year — but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the number of criminal convictions there each year. Precise numbers are hard to come by, but we estimate that there are hundreds of thousands annually.

Relatively few people with records meet the legal requirements — but that’s not the only problem. Even among those who do qualify, we found that only 6.5 percent received expungements within five years of becoming eligible. Michigan judges have discretion to reject applications, but that’s not the big reason for this low rate. Rather, over 90 percent of those eligible don’t even apply.

Given the large potential benefits of expungement, why wouldn’t someone apply? We interviewed expungement lawyers and advocates for people with records, whose insights pointed to a clear set of explanations. Most people don’t know they can get an expungement, or don’t know how to do it, and don’t have lawyers to advise them. The process is long and complicated, requiring visits to police stations and courthouses. The fees and costs (which in Michigan usually total close to $100, not including transportation and time away from work) are a barrier for people in poverty. And people with records have often had painful experiences with the criminal justice system, making the prospect of returning to it for any reason daunting.

The low rate of applications for expungement is consistent with broader findings about the difficulties that poor and middle-class Americans face in dealing with the legal system. When the state makes it too hard or costly for citizens to exercise a right or opportunity, it’s not that different from denying that right or opportunity. Most people won’t be able to jump through all those hoops.