Delaware clinic helps to clear juvenile criminal records
The Widener University Delaware Law School helped nearly 45 juveniles start the process to clear their records in an expungement clinic Friday.
The clinic in Talleyville was the law school's second. It was the third held by the Office of Defense Services this year, said Jon Offredo, a legislative liaison with ODS, in a news release.
The defense service "provides legal services to indigent and incarcerated clients statewide," according to the organization's website.
About 20 attorneys and volunteers were on hand Friday to aid clients free of charge, Offredo said. After clients met with volunteers, Offredo said, their expungement applications will be filed with and processed by the courts.
Gov. John Carney believes it is essential that all Delawareans have an "opportunity to succeed, and meaningfully contribute" to their future and the state of Delaware.
“These expungement clinics offer a second chance and help Delawareans with juvenile records move beyond mistakes of their past," said Carney, who visited the clinic midday.
An expungement can empower youth to show the world that they are not a lost cause and that they can still have a bright future, said Lisa Minutola, chief of legal services for the Office of Defense Services.
“The Office of Defense Services is committed to providing quality representation to help youth at risk navigate the complex juvenile and criminal justice systems," she said. "We believe that we can reduce recidivism, jail populations, and even crime, if we can reach vulnerable populations when they’re young.”
The program is hosted in collaboration with Delaware Criminal Justice Council. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and a federal grant.
The Delaware Center for Justice also assisted with the event, helping to raise the $52 needed for each individual to obtain a certified criminal record that must be attached to the expungement petition.
More clinics are being planned for other locations in Delaware.
For more information on statewide expungement clinics, visit ods.delaware.gov/.
Contact Alonzo Small at (302) 324-2856 or asmall@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @P_AlonzoSmall.