GRAND RAPIDS, MI – There is help available next week for Michigan residents seeking to expunge their records of criminal convictions that often have been a barrier to getting housing, jobs, state licensing and volunteering.
The Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Access to Justice Clinic in partnership with attorney Amanda Sterkenburg will offer an Expungement Eligibility Clinic in Kentwood to help people get their criminal history erased from public records on Saturday, Feb. 29.
The clinic is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Community Collaboration Center in the Kentwood Public Schools Administration Building, 5820 Eastern Ave. SE.
Tracey Brame, director of WMU-Cooley Access to Justice Clinic and associate dean of the Grand Rapids campus, said they are offering people the opportunity to come in and be screened for eligibility for an expungement.
In Michigan, she said people with one felony conviction and/or two misdemeanors for certain crimes are eligible to petition the court to have their records expunged, provided the last conviction attempting to be expunged was at least five years ago.
“It doesn’t erase it all together, but it basically hides it from public view, so that if they were applying for a job or housing and someone does a background check it won’t come up,’’ Brame said.
“It makes a huge difference for people because it means that they can say or mark no, when asked if they’ve been convicted of a felony.’’
Brame says there are exceptions to expungement including felonies like murder punishable by life in prison, rape and other sexual assaults and traffic offenses.
There is a $10 fee, cash or credit card, for criminal record screening. However, it is free to enter and hear the information shared.
Student attorneys from WMU-Cooley Access to Justice Clinic will be on hand to discuss the process with participants and help them determine their eligibility. Those who qualify may be paired with a student attorney for pro bono assistance with their expungement application. Resource packets will be available to those who do not qualify.
“A person’s trustworthiness or character cannot be proven by one single incident,’’ said attorney Amanda Sterkenburg in a press release.
“Unfortunately, many people find that old convictions continue to create barriers to housing and employment long after they have served their sentence and changed their lives. Expungement represents a fresh start to those whose recent conduct shows that they deserve a second chance.”
Sterkenburg approached the law school about teaming up on the Kentwood clinic.
Brame said second- or third year law students accompany their clients to court and advocate for their expungement. She said Kamau Sandiford, staff attorney for the WMU-Cooley Access to Justice Clinic, helps their students work the cases.
She said the entire expungement process could take about three months. She said WMU-Cooley conducts a few dozen clinics a year along with other community events to educate the public.
“You would be surprised how many people don’t know about or understand the expungement process,’’ Brame said. “There are probably a lot of people who might qualify every year.’’
She said anyone in the state is welcome to attend clinic next week but urged anyone traveling a long distance to contact their office in advance for a pre-screening at 616-301-6800, extension 6921.
Since 2015, when state lawmakers enacted a more accessible path to expungement of criminal records for offenders, Brame said the WMU-Cooley Access to Justice Clinic clinic has been successfully helping clients earn a second chance. She said they are approaching their 100th expungement.
"Our mission is to assist area citizens in obtaining a second chance by overcoming barriers related to criminal history,'' she said.
In November, the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation that would expand who’s eligible for criminal record expungement. If passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor Whitmer, the package of bills would do the following:
- Increase the number of felonies and misdemeanors that can be set aside under the current petition process.
- Allow certain traffic offenses and marijuana convictions to be set aside.
- Set up a system to automatically expunge certain crimes if certain criteria are met..
- Allow multiple crimes that are part of the same transaction to be counted as one, if certain criteria are met.
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