The Michigan Supreme Court in conjunction with Detroit Mercy School of Law and the Michigan State Bar Foundation is holding traveling expungement clinics across the state.
The clinics are intended to help clear the records of eligible Michiganders.
Up to one felony or two misdemeanors could be expunged, but there are a number of convictions that are not eligible for the program including life sentences, sex crimes and traffic violations.
Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court Bridget McCormack said expungement can vastly improve the lives of state residents.
“People who get convictions expunged it can make a tremendous difference in their ability to find a job, get higher wages, get housing, get admitted to college,” McCormack said.
Despite how beneficial it can be McCormack said not many Michiganders take advantage of expungement.
“We know that there are a lot of people eligible but last year only about 3,000 people in Michigan were able to take advantage of that relief,” she said. “We think it’s because it’s a difficult process to navigate.”
Nick Schroeck with the Detroit Mercy School of Law said the clinics will help people move through a complicated legal process.
“For a lot of people they feel like they’ve paid their debt, they’ve served their time whatever that may be, and they just want to put this behind them,” Schroeck said.
Expungement clinics are scheduled in Otsego, Crawford, and Kalkaska counties. Officials said this is a pilot program and they expect it to expand in the future.
You can find details about the clinics here: