LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Lawmakers, attorneys and educators with Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School teamed up to help hundreds of people fill out an application to clean certain offenses from their criminal record.
The event comes weeks after an automatic expungement mandate removed some convictions across the board.
Officials with WMU-Cooley Law School said Michigan’s 2020 Clean Slate law is providing a pathway for people to clean three eligible felonies and any misdemeanors off their record.
According to state officials, the process can take several months. The automatic expungement part of the law only applies to certain convictions that are on a person’s record for more than seven to 10 years.
Tracey Brame, an associate dean with WMU-Cooley Law School, said it’s part of a pattern of state law becoming more inclusive by expanding the pool of people who could apply for expungement.
She said convictions are often barriers to employment, housing and community involvement.
More than 200 people preregistered, and even more came in as walk-ins.
Brame said the effects of a second chance expand beyond just getting a job.
“We found too often was people would be paying for it again and again across their lives, even if their crime happened long ago,” Brame said.
You can find the next Expungement Fair at this link.
