For people with a criminal record, expungement can be a lifesaver. That’s the message officials with the Northeast Kentucky Reentry Council hope to get across with an informational expungement session on Friday, October 27.
Kristin Tiedeman is the Chairperson of the council, an organization that partners with the Department of Corrections (DOC) to host expungement sessions. She said expungement entails the process people undergo to have their criminal record erased or modified after they meet certain requirements.
Tiedeman said while no one will walk out of Friday’s session with an expunged record, they can get the process started.
“Somebody will come in; they complete some basic paperwork so that background check can be done by DOC,” she said. “While that’s going on, there will be community members, community organizations that will also have tables set up for our resource fair. There’s going to be a mental health provider there.”
Expungement can give those with criminal records a second chance, Tiedeman said.
“It allows people who have certain felony convictions, as well as misdemeanors, to have the record removed so that those no longer can affect their housing ability – the ability to get certain housing or certain jobs,” she said.
Tiedeman said expungement sessions like the one on Friday can help with the stigma those with criminal records often face in their day to day lives.
“The more people hear about these types of activities, the more open minded they become,” she said. “So, the more people are aware of what expungement is and the importance of giving people that are justice-involved another opportunity, it helps with poor attitudes or negative attitudes toward people that are justice-involved.”
Tiedeman said Friday’s session will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Maysville Community and Technical College’s main technical building on their Maysville Campus. It’s free and open to the public.
More information on expungement and the steps involved in the process can be found online.