If you’re one of the thousands that has a misdemeanor offense from your past that is haunting you, provided it’s not a violent crime, a sex crime, a crime involving moral turpitude or a serious traffic offense such as a DUI, you now have the opportunity to receive help, free of charge, to see if it can possibly be expunged from your record.
Legal Services Alabama (LSA) recently expanded its Road to Redemption series of expungment clinics to offer residents of DeKalb, Madison, Limestone, Jackson, Marshall and Morgan counties virtual meetings with LSA attorneys and pro bono volunteers.
The program began Feb. 22 and is held monthly.
According to John Lewis Fellow and attorney Tracy Kennie, the Road to Redemption program was created by LSA after the Redeemer Act of 2021 which expanded eligibility for expungment to citizens with minor crimes on their record.
“Expungement,” says Kennie, “is the legal process to clear one’s record, whether it’s from a prior arrest or a prior conviction.”
There is a prescreen intake form available on LSA’s website. Once the intake form is completed, someone from the organization with contact you to conduct your intake and schedule your virtual meeting appointment. You must have access to the internet and an internet connected device to participate. Live meetings with attorneys and volunteers are scheduled every fourth Wednesday to go over your specific situation to see if you’re eligible and to go over the process with you.
Even minor criminal records can impact a person’s ability to find a job or to find stable and quality homes. Kennie explains that these records are preventing people from being approved by landlords or public housing. They also reduce a person chances of being hired by half.
The LSA law firm is a civil legal advocacy that provides free services to low-income residents of Alabama. They collaborate with with others state-wide and nationally to assist clients in finding solutions to systemic issues that can regularly be caused by economic, social or racial inequities.
Attorneys that may be interested in volunteering pro bono services at a virtual clinic can contact Tracy Kennie at tkennie@alsp.org.
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