SALT LAKE CITY — According to Rasa Legal, one in four Utahns has a criminal record, and half of all children have at least one parent who struggles with a criminal record. However, the state is taking steps to give people a fresh start.
In October,the state of Utah changed the expungement process to provide waivers to cover the Bureau of Criminal Identification legal fees. Expungement is a process you can go through to get a court order for your criminal records to be sealed from public access.
According to Noella Sudbury, the founder and CEO of Rasa Legal, old records can still impact people years later, "Even old and minor records can hold people back long after their involvement in the justice system."
The Smith Entertainment Group, along with other groups, including Rasa Legal, is holding an expungement summit at the Delta Center on Wednesday. At the summit, Utahns will be able to check their expungement eligibility and begin the process of clearing their records for free.
"When people can get their records cleared, that's not only good for them and for low-income families, but it helps our economy by getting people into needed jobs," Sudbury stated. "It helps public safety by allowing people lawful opportunities to move forward and do better in life.”
The summit will have more than 90 volunteer attorneys on site to help people with the process, as well as resources to connect people with health insurance, job opportunities, and more. Plus each person will also get two free tickets to a Jazz or Utah Hockey Club game.
The summit is at the Delta Center on Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. You can register in advance on Rasa Legal's website.
