HOUSTON — Dozens of people got assistance in sealing their criminal records at a resource fair on Saturday. Judges say it can clear roadblocks to better housing and jobs.
The Fresh Start Resource Fair was held at the Houston Community College northeast campus where those eligible are able to get assistance sealing their low-level, non-violent misdemeanor records.
Houstonian Dominique Crocker said she was the first person in line at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday to get those resources.
“Moving to a new place is hard when you have a bad background. It torments you, it kind of makes you feel like you can’t go anywhere and you feel like you’re stuck,” Crocker said.
She said she’s spent months getting her case expunged.
“I still have more life to live, I was not living before I did all this,” Crocker said.
The fair includes programs for job training, voter registration, and education. It also provides children’s immunizations and COVID boosters, plus school supplies for families.
Toria Finch, Judge for Harris County Criminal Court #9, said others on the bench collaborate with the public defender’s office to save people money and time in getting records sealed.
“[They] draft the paperwork, file it with the court, talk to the prosecutor and make sure there’s no objections to the sealing and go straight to the court. Versus someone doing it on their own, you can get lost in the system,” Judge Finch said.
When a pre-registration link was posted for the event, it was completely booked within nine hours.
30 people got assistance today, while 230 others were able to attend a workshop guiding people through the process.
Crocker believes many people like her deserve a second chance.
“It would feel wonderful, to go back to school, new place, car, everything new, I would feel like I’ve done something I’ve never done before, it would make me really happy,” Crocker added.
You can learn more about criminal record sealing on the Bayou City Community Court website.
On the website, you can sign up for alerts or pre-register online to access criminal record-sealing programs.
The last event of the year will be held on November 11 at the Barrett Station/Riley Chambers Community Center in Crosby.