Expungement Clinic Aims To Remove Roadblocks To Housing, Jobs

Those hoping to wipe their slate clean of past crimes can find out if they’re eligible for expungement of low-level felonies and misdemeanors Saturday at an expungement clinic at the Urban League of Greater Madison.

“We see hundreds of people come through our doors who are having difficulty finding employment and past criminal records are one of the largest reasons why,” said Edward Lee, senior vice president for the organization.

The clinic will have volunteer attorneys on hand to help people determine if past offenses, like minor drug possession or forgery, can be removed from public databases.

“So a person can not access it without a court order; it doesn’t show up on the electronic CCAP (Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website) database. That makes it easier for folks who are applying for a job or seeking housing to not have that taint of a conviction readily apparent to employers or potential landlords,” said Kori Ashley of Legal Action of Wisconsin.

Under Wisconsin law, certain offenses can be expunged if the offender was younger than 25, sentenced after June 30, 2009 and completed their sentence.

“So if you’ve been fined, you have paid that fine, completed probation successfully and not returned to prison, not committed another offense, what the court then looks at is whether this will benefit the defendant — which is in all cases a very easy argument to make — and whether society will be harmed,” said Ashley.

The eligibility criteria also requires expungement be ordered at the time of sentencing.

“So while people may not qualify for expungement, they may be eligible for arrest record corrections. This also allows people to see what’s actually on their arrest record and probably a lot of people do not know what’s on it,” said Melissa El Menaouar of the law firm Foley & Lardner.

Another attorney at the same firm, Alex Lodge, said that, as volunteers, they can explain the process to people and potentially make a difference in their lives.

“So even if they’re not walking away with a removal of any of the arrest records or qualifying for a conviction expungement, you are somewhat more empowered in terms of knowing what’s on your record, having the ability to explain what’s on your record and communicate that to a future employer or a landlord.”

As of Tuesday, Lee said 75 people had pre-registered, which is encouraged but not required.

The free clinic will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Urban League of Greater Madison, 2222 S. Park St., Madison.

The Urban League of Greater Madison, Foley & Lardner, Madison Area Urban Ministry, the state Bar of Wisconsin, Legal Action of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Associated of African-American Lawyers are hosting the clinic.