A Michigan organization is helping UP residents expunge items on their criminal records. Safe & Just Michigan hosted an Expungement Fair in Marquette on Friday and Saturday. Attendees at the fair were screened to see if they were eligible for expungement. The fair included free background checks, fingerprinting and volunteer attorneys to help participants with paperwork and figuring out next steps. The organization points out that Michigan is unique, as it’s the only state that allows felonies to be automatically expunged. 

According to Kamau Sandiford, the program manager for Safe & Just Michigan Clean Slate, one in three adults have a criminal record. 

“That naturally imposes significant barriers to that person, whether that be getting housing or getting gainful employment. Criminal conviction can be a serious impediment to that,” Sandiford told TV6 News. Michigan individuals can have up to three felonies and any number of misdemeanors expunged. However, some offenses are not eligible.

DUI-2nd, Felony DUI-3rd, an offense punishable by Life, traffic offenses committed while operating a commercial vehicle, traffic offenses causing injury or death, felony domestic violence (if the individuals has a prior misdemeanor domestic violence conviction), criminal sexual conduct (1st, 2nd and 3rd degree), criminal sexual conduct 4th degree (if committed on or after Jan. 12, 2015), and out-of-state and federal convictions are not eligible for expungment. Safe & Just Michigan also noted that individuals with more than three felony offenses will not be eligible, unless they fall under the “One Bad Night” exception under the law. The organization also wanted to be clear that license expungement is different from license restoration, and the expungement clinic will not be able to restore a driver’s license. 

Safe & Just Michigan began in 2018. It grew out of the Citizens Alliance on Prison and Public Spending, or CAPPS, founded by Barbara Levine. Through twenty years of hard work, CAPPS brought about significant parole reform and prevented legislation and spending that would have increased the prison population. According to their website, “The evidence-based research played a pivotal role in the state and national debate on effective approaches to public safety and over reliance on incarceration.” 

Today, one of Safe & Just Michigan’s biggest projects is their Clean Slate for Michigan initiative. Safe & Just Michigan says that they want to, “live in a place where everyone can find a job with a fair wage and secure safe and affordable housing. But for hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents, this simple dream is out of reach.” Clean Slate for Michigan helps with automatic expungements, clean slate legislation, and free resources for individuals who need a lawyer or legal advice. They also offer several events throughout the year, including job fairs and career exploration days with local colleges. 

The Expungement Fair was held in collaboration with Upper Peninsula Michigan Works and the Michigan Department of Attorney General.