Few will dispute that the nation’s criminal justice system has not been a friend to minoritiesû particularly Black folk. Nationally, we are incarcerated at rates of 5.6 times more than white offenders, translating into 900,000 Black men and women in priso
Last week the Defender reported on the story of Alton Logan, a Black South Sider who was just released from prison after 26 years for a crime he apparently didn’t commit. Admirable work is being done by several organizations throughout the country to get convictions overturned regularly, thanks to improved DNA evidence.
The majority of folk who go to prison are guilty and after being released once they have served their time, life can be cruel. People with criminal records face obstacles at nearly every turn. Fortunately Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown understands the perils of reentry. She knows once their records are expunged, life gets smother in terms of getting housing, a job and other things many of us take for granted. Brown is using her office to do more than process paper. She is hosting an Expungement Summit June 7.
Expungement is merely a fancy way of saying get your criminal record cleared. Brown is hopeful that folk who were incarcerated as juveniles will show up at the Roberto Clemente Community Academy for the summit. She noted that many in our community labor under the wrong impression that juvenile records are sealed permanently.
That is not the case. Former juvenile offenders must request the sealings, or the record will follow the juvenile just like an adult criminal record. Non-juvenile offenders may be able to get felonies and misdemeanors expunged, and adult felonies can be sealed. Several local attorneys will be at the site to assist with the process.
Expungement is not a cure-all for ex-cons. Some records, such as first degree murder or sex offenses, can’t be washed cleaned. And ex-cons would be foolish to let slip this opportunity to get their records scrubbed. The county or Brown are under no obligation to offer these summits, so the least folk who couldn’t stay out of trouble can do is take advantage of this one.
Expungements can go a long way toward putting someone’s life back on track and eliminating a lot of excuses for why someone is not achieving.
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