Low-income Dallas residents who need help cleaning up their criminal records can get free assistance at an upcoming legal clinic hosted by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program.
Attorneys at the April 19 clinic will advise individuals on how to get certain past crimes they were not convicted of expunged or non-disclosed from their records.
Expunctions remove crimes completely from an individual’s criminal record.
Who can get one?
- A person who was arrested, prosecuted, and later acquitted of a crime.
- Someone who was convicted and subsequently pardoned.
- An individual who has been released and the charge did not result in a conviction, is not pending, and there was no court-ordered community supervision (unless the offense was a Class C misdemeanor).
- Some juvenile offenses with specific requirements.
Non-disclosures seal specific criminal records from the general public.
Who can get one?
- A person who has completed a deferred adjudication on a misdemeanor and the case has been discharged and dismissed at least two years before filing for non-disclosure. Some misdemeanors can be filed immediately after discharge and dismissal.
- A person who has completed a deferred adjudication on a felony and the case has been discharged and dismissed at least five years prior to filing for non-disclosure.
Volunteer lawyers will also be available at the clinic to help people recover property that has been taken from them by the police. Attorneys will determine who is eligible on a case-by-case basis.
The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, which is an initiative of the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, hosts expunction and non-disclosure clinics on the third Tuesday of each month.
The April clinic will start at 4:30 p.m. at the West Dallas Multi-Purpose Community Center, 2828 Fish Trap Rd., Dallas.