DETROIT – Nearly 170 people stepped toward a new future by starting their expungement process at the Second Chance Summit.
The event occurred on Friday (March 1) at Little Caesar’s Arena, where it was hosted by the Detroit Pistons and co-sponsored by the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, Safe and Just Michigan, the city of Detriot, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, Project Clean Slate, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The summit provided free and low-cost legal help to people eligible to have old criminal records cleared under Michigan’s Clean Slate expungement laws.
Several community partners, including universities, nonprofits, and employers, were also on hand to provide attendees with resources and job opportunities.
“Record expungement will not only give these Michiganders a fresh start, but options for stable housing and employment,” said John S. Cooper, executive director of Safe and Just Michigan. “Past mistakes shouldn’t result in a lifetime of barriers. Expungement is not only the right thing to do, it’s good for our state’s residents, communities and economy.”
The bipartisan passage of Clean Slate Laws in 2020 in Michigan expanded expungement eligibility to more than one million residents, with thousands more qualifying for automatic expungement.
The summit provided residents with information on their records while also giving free legal counsel and necessary next steps. So far, over 1,175,764 Michiganders have had their records either entirely or partially automatically expunged.
Thousands more are expected to undergo steps to clear theirs, including the 168 people who sought help at the Second Chance Summit on Friday.