‘Helps the community’: Montgomery Co. expungement clinic aims to remove barriers after minor criminal convictions

Having a criminal conviction can make it challenging to work toward to a better future Montgomery County Maryland is holding an expungement clinic Saturday to help certain people get back on track Expungement is where we through a legal procedure remove from citizens record evidence of a prior criminal conviction disclosed State s Attorney for Montgomery County John McCarthy Typically it s done for relatively minor nonviolent offenses Citizens who are charged with a crime that is later dismissed are eligible for expungement as are people who have been convicted of certain crimes Certain of these minor crimes have served as blockades for them getting educational or job opportunities McCarthy stated We re trying to remove those obstructions so they can begin becoming a more contributing member of our neighborhood Crimes that may be eligible for expungement include possession of controlled dangerous substance or paraphernalia trespassing destruction of property and disturbing the peace We re not talking about violent criminal matters McCarthy commented We re not talking about things that relate to guns knives or any kind of offenses against a person Related stories A beacon of light Montgomery Co center helps inmates get ready for freedom Montgomery County s Sweet Release venture teaches baking skills to inmates Fairfax Co launches Conviction Integrity Unit to consider wrongful convictions Regarding violent crimes including homicide rapes child abuse sex offense They should never be expunged We need as a neighborhood to have that information available to us They re offenses that I think we as a region can all agree should never be expunged In addition McCarthy explained misdemeanors require a five-year waiting period after satisfying a sentence including parole probation or mandatory supervision before a person is eligible to apply for expungement We want them to be able to come back positively better off than they were before with the ability to contribute to our society McCarthy revealed It helps the individuals but it helps the public as well Saturday May from a m to p m the state s attorney s office and population defender s office are partnering with county legal aid and the Mt Calvary Baptist Church for an expungement clinic The church is at N Horners Lane in Rockville Source