Media contact(s):
Mary Louise Madigan: (216) 698-2521; mlmadigan@cuyahogacounty.us
Lester Holmes: (216) 881-4598; lester.holmes@jfs.ohio.gov 

SOUTH EUCLID, OH – The Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry and the Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., will host an Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair to assist people with past criminal convictions to seal their records.

What: Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair

When: Saturday April 23rd, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: John F. Kennedy High School, 15111 Miles Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44128

An expungement is a legal process that clears any reference of past criminal convictions provided under Section 2953 of the Ohio Revised Code. Legal professionals from the Justice Bus, a mobile legal aid office and technology hotspot that allows attorneys to travel to and provide free legal services to Ohioans, will counsel expungement applicants through the expungement process as well as volunteers from the Cuyahoga County Office of Public Defender and Legal Works. The event is free and open to the public.

In addition to legal help, more than a dozen County agencies and community groups will be onsite to provide resources for education, employment, housing, food assistance and medical care. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health will also give COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair is part of County’s “Reentry Week 2022” activities, a series of events to raise awareness of the importance of successful reentry and support those returning from incarceration to become productive members of society.

County Councilwoman Meredith Turner said the expungement clinic and other activities related to Reentry Week 2022 benefit both our County as well as the formerly incarcerated citizens.

“If citizens are met with multiple barriers that prevent them from being productively employed and a part of the tax base, it hurts the communities and it hurts the County. It is important for community-based organizations to provide necessary resources and services back to the community in which we represent and serve,” Turner said.

To learn more about the Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair, visit https://hhs.cuyahogacounty.us/office-of-reentry. All questions can be directed to Cuyahoga-Reentry@jfs.ohio.gov.