Free clinic at Webb Center for sealing criminal records

The Center for Arkansas Legal Services is partnering with the Webb Center and pro bono attorneys to host a criminal record sealing clinic on Feb. 2 to provide free legal help to low-income Arkansans, a release said.

The clinic will take place at 1 p.m. at the Webb Center, 127 Pleasant St., and appointments are required.

The goal is to improve the lives of those whose past criminal record may bar them from obtaining employment, securing housing, or qualifying for a loan for a car, home, or education. Arkansans seeking help must have completed all the terms and conditions of their probation and paid all fines or costs that were part of their sentence, the release said.

Participants will be able to speak to an attorney and walk away with all the legal documents they need to file with the court. To make an appointment, contact the Center for Arkansas Legal Services at 501-376-3423 or 800-950-5817.

Individuals must bring a copy of their criminal background check from the Arkansas Crime Information Center to the clinic, a copy of their sentencing order, and their driver’s license or state-issued ID. Documents showing the successful competition of probation may also be helpful. Arkansans who do not have these forms should visit the court clerk’s office where they were sentenced and request a copy. The clerk may charge a $5 fee to obtain copies.

Not everyone is eligible to have their criminal record sealed. Anyone who has spent any time in the Arkansas Department of Correction is not eligible to have their criminal record sealed. Additionally, Class Y felonies, Class A or B felonies that are not drug offenses, unless sentenced under the First Offender’s Act, manslaughter, an unclassified felony with a maximum sentence of more than 10 years, violent felonies, and sexual offenders whose victims were younger than 18 years old are not eligible to have their record sealed. To be eligible, one must have been sentenced under a statute that allows for expungement.