Dallas County Hosting Event to Clear Criminal Records – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

An arrest – even for some of the most slight crimes – can observe persons their total lives and reduce job chances, schooling and housing.

Dallas County is hosting its sixth Expunction Expo, enabling all those eligible to have prison records cleared.

Texas regulation makes it possible for information to be expunged if a person satisfies certain standards, but many are frequently unaware they may be qualified or can not pay for to hire an legal professional.

The expo is a partnership among the Dallas County District Attorney’s Place of work, District Clerk’s Business office, General public Defender’s Place of work and quite a few volunteer teams presenting free of charge legal providers.

The method was originally released by Dallas County District Legal professional Religion Johnson but has ongoing beneath current DA John Creuzot. It is steadily grown to support a lot more than 1,700 folks, in accordance to the district attorney’s office.

“There are some individuals who have nothing in any respect besides this and it’s sort of hanging there, standing there and it’s an impediment to going on,” said Dallas County District Lawyer John Creuzot.

People intrigued will have to fill out an software on the web by July 11. All those who satisfy the criteria will be contacted by Sept. 12. A volunteer lawyer will then link with people qualified to begin the paperwork of submitting for an expungement.

Kristin Salas is with the Dallas Volunteer Legal professional Plan and can help folks expunge arrests from their document, which will display up when an employer or landlord does a prison qualifications test.

“They do not search over and above that one particular arrest – ‘Oh seem it got dismissed. They have been genuinely innocent in this whole thing’ — so it is individuals forms of instances that the expunction will really aid,” claimed Salas.

For each Texas statute, men and women who have offenses on their prison history may perhaps qualify for an expunction if any of the adhering to use.

• You were arrested but a cost was in no way filed, was no-billed by the grand jury, or was turned down by the District Attorney’s Office.
• Your Felony, Course A misdemeanor, or Course B misdemeanor charge was dismissed with out any style of group supervision or probation prior to the dismissal.
• Your Class C misdemeanor was dismissed, or you correctly completed Course C deferred adjudication.
• You were being acquitted (discovered “not guilty”) of your cost by a choose, jury, or appellate courtroom.
• You were being convicted of a criminal offense but later on pardoned by the Texas Governor or the United States President, or you were convicted ahead of 09/01/2021 for Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon beneath Segment 46.02(a) of the Penal Code.

A scenario is not suitable for an expunction, if:

• It is still pending.
• You were being convicted in the circumstance, even if you only paid out a fantastic.
• You been given probation, local community supervision or supplied adjudication for a felony Course A misdemeanor or Class B misdemeanor, even if your situation was afterwards dismissed.
• The circumstance you want to be expunged is a felony, and you ended up arrested for a different offense at the similar time that resulted in a conviction, probation, group supervision, or deferred adjudication.