San Diego Clean Slate Expungement Clinic, County of San Diego, California

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

The Office of the Public Defender along with community and County partners created and opened the Clean Slate Reentry Expungement Clinic in April, 2012. The monthly Saturday clinic is held in space donated by the State of California EDD One Stop Career Center. This self-help clinic provides information and assistance to San Diego County residents who want to expunge their criminal records, an important step toward rehabilitation and successful reentry into the local community. Criminal records, which are routinely reviewed in the hiring process through the prolific use of background checks, often create insurmountable barriers to full-time gainful employment and housing, making it difficult for individuals to provide for themselves and their families. Clinic volunteers help local residents get their criminal records, learn how to read and understand them, and ultimately assist them in completing the court paperwork. Volunteer employment rights attorneys are available to advise participants of their employment rights, including background checks and licensing application information. The Clinic also provides comprehensive training to both legal and community volunteers. The Clinic has helped more than 200 people with more than 120 expungement dismissal petitions and the clinic participation is growing monthly.