SALT LAKE CITY — Mary Montoya is among the one in four Utahns who have some type of criminal record. On Tuesday, she and others were offered the chance to get their records expunged under Utah's Clean Slate Law with the help of the NBA and the Utah Jazz.
"I'm here to get a clean slate because I've changed my life. I'm excited and I just want to move forward," Montoya said.
She says she has some misdemeanor and felony charges from 1996 that are holding her back.
"I've had a hard time getting into an apartment. People will look at me and stereotype me... Getting a job is hard, and I'm starting a business," Montoya said.
Others at the expungement clinic like Manny Lopez do not qualify for expungement yet, but they were there to help raise awareness so those like Montoya can.
"What this is doing is helping people that may have made mistakes in the past clean up what they've been through," Lopez said.
Utah is just the second state in the country to pass a Clean Slate Law. The law was first passed in 2019, but it didn't go into effect until February 2022. Nearly a year later, community leaders say not enough people know about the opportunities Clean Slate provides.
"We know the system is working because 200,000 records have already been expunged by the court system in Utah, but not all of those people know about it," said James Cadogan, the executive director for the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition.
The Clean Slate Law applies to a variety of misdemeanors, but there are exceptions. Regardless, going through the expungement process can provide opportunities.
"If they're out in our community, out there filling out a job application, applying for a new apartment, maybe applying for a loan, and there's that question... 'Do you have a criminal background?' Too many people are still checking yes when in the state of Utah could be checking no," said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
The NBA hopes they can continue to promote the program across Utah and the entire country.
"We're going to continue to talk about exactly this, what happened here today, what happened here at Vivint, what happened here at Salt Lake City, so as many people, not just here in Utah, but across the country, are aware," Cadogan said.
Community members like Montoya and Lopez hope to continue their work at the grassroots level. Montoya says she'll never forget her past and hopes to use her own experiences to inspire others to look toward a new future.
"I want to go out and tell my testimony so others can know that there can be changes in their life," Montoya said.
"Your past doesn't define you; everybody needs a second chance," Lopez said.
More information about the program can be found on the Utah Clean Slate website.
