Tarrant County offering virtual clinic to clean criminal records
Tarrant County is again offering to erase or seal the criminal records of eligible individuals in an upcoming program.
The Expunction and Nondisclosure Clinic, for the first time in its five years, will be virtual so people don’t have to leave their homes to clean their records.
The deadline to submit an application is April 5, and those who qualify will hear from volunteer attorneys between April 3 and May 7, according to a news release from the office of District Attorney Sharen Wilson. There are several situations where a person can qualify for expunction, or the legal removing of arrests or charges, the release states. That includes if a charge was dismissed or wasn’t filed by a grand jury, or if the person was acquitted.
People can also qualify for expunction, the release states, if they completed a county diversion program.
To qualify for nondisclosure, or the sealing of an arrest record, the charge has to be a misdemeanor or a non-exempt felony and the person has to have completed a deferred adjudication probation.
The district attorney’s office is hosting the event with the L. Clifford Davis Legal Association. Only Tarrant County cases will be considered.
The clinic is important, according to L. Clifford Davis President-Elect MarQuetta Clayton, because many people “feel the negative consequences of an arrest or a criminal charge long after they’ve paid their debt to society.”
“An individual’s criminal history can affect their employment, housing, licensing and many other opportunities that would otherwise be available,” Clayton said in the release. “We gather volunteer attorneys to file the petitions, and if eligible, individuals may have their filing fee waived.”
Wilson said in the release it’s important to give people “a second chance.”
“Erasing that criminal record gives people a fresh start and helps them, once again, to positively contribute to society,” she said.
Though the county can waive court costs for some applicants, applicants who don’t meet the financial criteria must pay around $450 in cash, cashier’s check or money order before the petition is filed, according to the release.
The first clinic was hosted in 2016. Since then, the release states, there have been more than 5,300 expunctions and 600 nondisclosures.
Anyone interested in being a part of the clinic needs to answer a questionnaire and submit a financial statement at www.lcdla-bar.com.
