People who were charged with a crime in Miami-Dade County in a case that didn’t result in a conviction could get to apply to seal and expunge their records at a State Attorney’s Office event Thursday.
The free event is being held at the Bethel Apostolic Temple at 1855 NW 119th St. in North Miami from 4 to 7 p.m.
It’s part of the “Second Chance Program” from State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle’s office, said Terry Chavez, a spokeswoman for the office.
“This is an opportunity for people who made a mistake to be able, if they qualify, to seal and expunge their record so they can have a brighter future, so they can have a decent job, so they can have their civil rights restored and vote,” Chavez said.
The program covers nonviolent crimes, and to be eligible, people must have had “a withhold of adjudication by the court,” meaning they did not get a conviction, Chavez said.
Only cases that occurred at the state level in Miami-Dade will be reviewed.
Attorneys and a representative from South Florida Workforce will be on hand. The office of Clerk of the Court Harvey Rubin is also participating.
Local
7 Arrested in Health Insurance Scam
Those who qualify can get help with processing an application to send to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Those who do not qualify can get assistance from the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition with restoring their civil rights, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Chavez said the event is held once per month in various locales of the county. It has been held previously in Homestead, Doral, West Miami and Miami Beach, among other places.
In all about 4,000 people have applied, and about 2,000 have been eligible to have their records expunged, she said.
For more information about the program, call the State Attorney’s Office Community Outreach Division at 305-547-0724.
