By AFRO Staff

For persons trying to escape the shadow of a criminal history, help may be on the way. 

Maryland Legal Aid (MLA), in partnership with Reid Temple A.M.E. Church of Glenn Dale, Md., is hosting a free expungement clinic at the church on April 27. Individuals with a criminal history will have an opportunity to be advised by legal professionals and have petitions prepared on site. This includes people with cannabis-related charges who may be newly eligible for expungement.

The one-on-one assistance could be life-altering for the thousands of persons whose lives were tainted by a criminal history. Experts say for those who have run-ins with the law, that history could pose a steep barrier to gainful employment, stable housing and general reintegration into society, leading to higher chances of recidivism. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 44 percent of persons released from state prisons are re-arrested within a year. And over a nine-year period, that number increased to 83 percent.

“Successful reentry is measured over time and the ability of a person to expunge their criminal record, where appropriate, can be critical to their ability to move forward,” said Nancy La Vigne, director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in a statement.

Expungement is a means for offenders to remove information about their criminal cases from legal and law enforcement records, which prospective employers and landlords may tap into when conducting background checks.

In Maryland, a resident can file for an expungement if that person’s case ended with disposition of acquittal, dismissal, probation before judgment (PBJ), nolle prosequi (prosecutor dropped case), stet (indefinitely postponed), or not criminally responsible. No fee is required.

In the case of a guilty verdict, Maryland law allows certain criminal convictions to be expunged after satisfactory completion of the sentence, including parole, probation or mandatory supervision. The nature of the crime determines when that person can file for expungement. The nonrefundable application cost is $30.

To find out more about the free expungement clinic, visit online at: https://www.mdlab.org/reid-expungement-clinic/ 

This includes people with cannabis-related charges who may be newly eligible for expungement. This one-on-one expungement assistance can be life-changing for the vast number of people who qualify.

What:
Maryland Legal Aid / Reid Expungement Clinic

When:
Saturday, April 27, 2024

Where:
Reid Temple A.M.E. Church
11400 Glenn Dale Blvd.
Glenn Dale, Maryland 20769