Joseph Pierce, 26, trotted into Apostolic Church of God looking for deliverance.
Joseph Pierce, 26, trotted into Apostolic Church of God looking for deliverance.
If asked, he’ll testify to the kind of information that makes him hirable. He likes cars, working with his hands and has 10 years of experience in the automotive industry as a claims adjuster and mechanic.
He also has to tell a potential employee about an arrest for an assault charge in 2003. The case was thrown out, but the stigma remains.
“Even if I was to explore other (employment) avenues, I want to make sure I go to a different direction without this behind me,” Pierce told the Defender.
He joined more than 4,000 other people looking for a second start at the 7th Annual Expungement Summit hosted Saturday at Apostolic Church of God by Dorothy Brown, clerk of the circuit court of Cook County. The South Side church’s sanctuary was seated to near capacity by people trying to find out about expungements, sealings and to meet with Prison Review Board representatives and social service providers.
Pierce, of the Washington Heights neighborhood in Chicago, said he’s tired of having an old mistake mar his chance for a fresh start.
Brown said the summit offers a chance to bring her office to the community.
“After a certain amount of time, when you have turned your life around, you deserve to be able to live a law-abiding productive life, take care of your family, take away the obstacle of being able to get a decent job,” Brown said.
Expungement is the legal way to get non-violent offenses removed from a person’s criminal history. Expungement petitions can be filed weekdays at the clerk’s office, and a procedural how-to guide is available daily on the clerk’s website.
But Brown says because the court is not required to tell people about the expungement law, lack of knowledge may have held people back from filing. Since the one-stop-shop summit started years ago, she’s seen an increase in expungement applications at her office, she said.
Depending on the crime and circumstance, an expungement may help people who might otherwise be denied jobs, public housing, welfare benefits, student loans or custodial rights.
“We’re helping not only just the individual sitting here, but their children and grandchildren because sometimes those stigmas last for generations,” Brown said.
Charmon Brown, 41, has a domestic battery charge she’s seeking to expunge and describes herself as a “dedicated grandmother and a VIP parent” at her children’s school.
“It’s emotionally important for me to clear up my record, because the background doesn’t make me a bad parent or a bad person,” she said.
She’s trying to obtain custody of her 5-month-old grandson, but her background has become a roadblock. That’s why she drove 60 miles from Carpentersville, Ill. to be the first person in line at 3:24 A.M. at the summit.
Charmon Brown, like several other attendees, is concerned about the financial cost of the process, which can add up to $120 per petition. Social service representatives were on hand to help attendees understand how to petition a judge for a fee waiver to people deemed as low-income.
But not everyone qualifies for expungement. Those in that situation attended a panel discussion conducted by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to learn how to prepare letters for clemency and pardons from the governor.
Robert Fisher, a Chicago-based attorney and one of 110 lawyers who volunteer their time for the event, said most people overwhelmingly want to know how to answer a criminal history question on a job application.
“The truth is, the fact that you’ve expunged doesn’t remove the fact you were arrested,” he said, “so anytime you apply on any application, I recommend full disclosure. Say ‘yes’ and then say expunged. They’ll know what that means.”
At a time when a June 2011 Gallup poll reports 19 percent of Americans are underemployed – not working but want to be – this is a vital chance for transformation said Dr. Byron Brazier, pastor of Apostolic Church of God.
“Whether it’s a second chance, third chance or fourth chance, people are looking for forgiveness. We should be open to making a way for them,” Brazier said.
A brief chat with an attorney, a speedy checkout at the cashier, and an hour later, Pierce walked out of the church toting a stamped copy of his approved expungement petition and the hope of a clean slate. He’ll receive his official papers within three months in the mail, but for someone who’s waited almost a decade for a do-over that doesn’t seem like too long.
Copyright 2011 Chicago Defender
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