SLO County residents can get help erasing criminal records at free clinic. Here’s when
San Luis Obispo County residents can get help with essentially erasing their criminal records this month at a free legal clinic at the San Luis Obispo County Law Library, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
The Clean Slate Clinic will be held Friday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The library is located on the bottom floor of San Luis Obispo Superior Court at 1050 Monterey St., No. 125, in San Luis Obispo.
There, eligible individuals can apply for criminal record expungment, felony reduction and arrest record sealing, the District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The clinic is a collaborative effort between the District Attorney’s Office, San Luis Obispo County Probation Department, San Luis Obispo Defenders, Restorative Partners, People’s Justice Project, California Rural Legal Assistance and San Luis Obispo College of law.
The free clinic aims to help eliminate a barrier to employment and housing for eligible individuals who have criminal records, the release said.
In California, individuals convicted of misdemeanors or felonies can be eligible to have their records expunged if they did not serve time in state prison for their conviction.
Those who served in state prison may also be eligible if the offense they were convicted before 2014, when Proposition 47 was implemented, and the offense would have landed them in county jail under the new guidelines.
The individual must also be released from probation after completing all their probation requirements to be eligible to have their record expunged.
“A criminal record can be a barrier to success and stability in life,” Steve Rice, Primary Public Defender for San Luis Obispo County, said in the release.. “We believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and this clinic will give individuals the opportunity to start fresh.”
Chief Probation Officer Robert Reyes said in the release that criminal record expungement will help community members become productive members of society and move past their prior offenses.
“The added stability that comes from obtaining employment and housing helps reduce rates of recidivism which improves public safety and the overall quality of life in our community,” San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release.
Spanish language interpreters will be provided at the clinic. To request another language or to make an appointment with the clinic, call 805-902-2752 (CRLA) or email reentry@crla.org.
