Having a criminal conviction can make it difficult to work toward to a better future; Montgomery County, Maryland, is holding an expungement clinic Saturday, to help some people get back on track.
“Expungement is where we, through a legal procedure, remove from public record evidence of a prior criminal conviction,” said 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.
“Some of these minor crimes have served as barriers for them getting educational or job opportunities,” McCarthy said. “We’re trying to remove those barriers so they can begin becoming a more contributing member of our community.”
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 said. “We’re not talking about things that relate to guns, knives or any kind of offenses against a person.”
Regarding violent crimes, including homicide, rapes, child abuse, sex offense: “They should never be expunged. We need, as a community, to have that information available to us. They’re offenses that I think we, as a community, can all agree should never be expunged.”
In addition, McCarthy said 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 community,” McCarthy said. “It helps the individuals, but it helps the community as well.”
Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the state’s attorney’s office and public defender’s office are partnering with county legal aid and the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church for an expungement clinic. The church is at 608 N Horners Lane, in Rockville.
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