TUNICA COUNTY, Miss. — For many convicted of crimes, the biggest challenges include landing a job or buying a house after serving their sentence.
A Mississippi nonprofit organization is trying to help people in Tunica County get their criminal records wiped clean through the process of expunging them. It can help some offenders get a fresh start after paying their debt to society.
“Who were you arrested by? What was the arresting agency?”
The man asking the questions isn’t an investigator. He’s Quinton Thompson, a counselor with the Mississippi Center for Justice. The organization was in Tunica to assist persons anxious to have their arrest and conviction records expunged.
Kyra McDonald, with the Mississippi Center for Justice, said the clinic in Tunica is just one of many the group holds across the state.
“An expungement is the deletion or striking out of an offense from one’s criminal record,” McDonald said. “So what that means is that if they are successful in obtaining an expungement, then it’s as if that arrest or that conviction never happened.”
The goal is to make it easier for those with a record to buy a house or find a job after they have completed the terms of their sentence.
Kyra McDonald said there are a lot of questions about who can and who can’t have their criminal records wiped clean.
“First-offense misdemeanor charges not including traffic violations, their record can be expunged. Mississippi law has now allowed for first-offense DUIs to be expunged under certain conditions,” McDonald said.
Some felony convictions can be expunged. The exceptions are persons convicted of violent crimes, crimes against individuals and sex-related crimes.
After submitting a request, it’s up to a judge to decide if someone’s criminal record can be expunged.
Still, Linda Stringfellow, the director of AmeriCorps Vista, said many are too intimidated to seek help, fearing the label society has already put on them.
“They’re already in society,” Stringfellow said. “It’s trying to have a better day-to-day life in society. So some are depressed, some are discouraged. We have a lot that are discouraged.”
There have been three expungement clinics in North Mississippi this year, attracting 300 applicants. The Mississippi Center for Justice does not charge a fee for its services, but persons considered for expunged convictions have to pay a filing fee.
To learn how, you can contact the Mississippi Center for Justice at 769-230-2829.