FriscoLady
03-21-2005, 03:23 PM
Oakland summit to help ex-offenders clean up their records
East Bay Community Law Center organizes chance for qualified individuals
By Chauncey Bailey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — Ex-offenders can have their criminal records expunged by judges and
attorneys — clearing the way for better employment prospects — during a
community program next month.
The Community Records Expungement Summit will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 2 at
Laney College, 900 Fallon St., Oakland.
The program is being organized by the East Bay Community Law Center, an
Oakland-based legal advocacy group. Ex-offenders who submitted applications to the
center or the office of U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, by a March 10
deadline will be processed that day. Another program will be held at a future date.
It has not been determined how many Alameda County Superior Court judges will
participate. Judge Gordon S. Baranco will be present and has been working
with planners.
Also attending will be representatives from the Alameda County Probation
Department, and attorneys and staffers with social service organizations that
assist ex-offenders in getting into educational or job training programs.
"We wanted to do something to help change peoples' lives for good," said
Cseneca Parker, community liaison for the law center.
Too often, Parker said, people with felonies or even misdemeanors on their
records cannot get jobs they need to start new lives. "Because of all the 'h
omeland security' concerns, employers want more background checks for job
applicants when they first apply," he said. "It used to be when people were closer to
getting hired."
Many ex-offenders are supposed to have their records expunged after they meet
parole or probation requirements, county officials said. But because of
budget cuts, many cases are put on hold until there's staff to do the required
research and paperwork.
Ex-offenders have complained it's difficult for them to find employment, so
they sometimes return to illegal means to survive on the streets. Others say
they have lied to get hired, or have been fired when their past is revealed to
employers.
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson has been working with prison officials
to help ex-offenders readjust and get hired. Black Men First, an organization
formed in response to black-on-black violence and homicides, also has
worked to get records expunged.
East Bay Community Law Center organizes chance for qualified individuals
By Chauncey Bailey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — Ex-offenders can have their criminal records expunged by judges and
attorneys — clearing the way for better employment prospects — during a
community program next month.
The Community Records Expungement Summit will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 2 at
Laney College, 900 Fallon St., Oakland.
The program is being organized by the East Bay Community Law Center, an
Oakland-based legal advocacy group. Ex-offenders who submitted applications to the
center or the office of U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, by a March 10
deadline will be processed that day. Another program will be held at a future date.
It has not been determined how many Alameda County Superior Court judges will
participate. Judge Gordon S. Baranco will be present and has been working
with planners.
Also attending will be representatives from the Alameda County Probation
Department, and attorneys and staffers with social service organizations that
assist ex-offenders in getting into educational or job training programs.
"We wanted to do something to help change peoples' lives for good," said
Cseneca Parker, community liaison for the law center.
Too often, Parker said, people with felonies or even misdemeanors on their
records cannot get jobs they need to start new lives. "Because of all the 'h
omeland security' concerns, employers want more background checks for job
applicants when they first apply," he said. "It used to be when people were closer to
getting hired."
Many ex-offenders are supposed to have their records expunged after they meet
parole or probation requirements, county officials said. But because of
budget cuts, many cases are put on hold until there's staff to do the required
research and paperwork.
Ex-offenders have complained it's difficult for them to find employment, so
they sometimes return to illegal means to survive on the streets. Others say
they have lied to get hired, or have been fired when their past is revealed to
employers.
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson has been working with prison officials
to help ex-offenders readjust and get hired. Black Men First, an organization
formed in response to black-on-black violence and homicides, also has
worked to get records expunged.