National Holiday Celebrates Expungement and Generational Healing for Justice-Impacted Communities

Washington, D.C, District of Columbia Sep 14, 2023 (Issuewire.com) - National Expungement Week ('N.E.W.'), The Real Amnesty Project, is present to announce the launch of its 5th annual Week of Action & Awareness, amplifying the need for record clearing and generational healing for justice-impacted communities. Also recognized as National Expungement Week, N.E.W. aims to raise public awareness about the importance of legal relief and restoring pathways for generational wealth through healing. 

"Our Week of Action & Awareness ('N.E.W.') is a call to action to raise the public's awareness of the importance of legal relief and restoring pathways for generational wealth through healing, for free or at a discounted rate to our impacted communities," said N.E.W. visionary and founder LaTorie Marshall. "Studies through partners like Collateral Consequences Resource Center have found that an estimated 48,000 legal and socio-economic barriers restrict fundamental human rights for people with an arrest and conviction on their record. More research through The Sentencing Project shows that half of these social barriers stem from conditioned harms in our predominately Black and Brown Communities and Rural Areas. Expungement and other forms of legal relief, such as record sealing, pardons, and even paying some fines, could instantly mitigate the impact of these barriers for over 70 million people across the country.'

In its fifth year as an access point for expungement and legal relief, WOAA events offer wraparound services to restore rights and uplift communities, including employment resources, voter registration, and health screenings. Throughout the WOAA, N.E.W.'s national directors will also host new programming reflective of the organization's seven core principles - Healing, Solidarity, Creation, Ascension, Dedication, Legacy, and Fellowship. Topics such as financial literacy, voter suppression, education, domestic violence prevention, and the importance of rest will be explored.

Expungement and other forms of legal relief, such as record sealing, pardons, and even paying some fines, could instantly improve the lives of millions of Americans and help to level the playing field.

These barriers result in significant job loss, housing insecurity, and reduced access to education and credit.

"These findings underline the urgent need for policy changes at the state and federal level to remove barriers to employment, housing, education, ownership, and credit for people with criminal records," said LaTorie Wallace. "Doing so would not only improve the lives of millions of Americans but also help to level the playing field or equity."

Doing this research and collecting data has shown us that there is a need for several policy changes to remove these barriers, including:

- Expanding access to expungement and record sealing

- creating an expungement and pardon process for Washington DC and other Federal territories; 

- reforming the pardon process

- eliminating or reducing fines and fees

- banning the box on college and job applications

- prohibiting landlords from using criminal records in screening tenants

- and increasing access to financial aid for people with criminal records.

"These recommendations provide a roadmap for how we can start to address the systemic discrimination that people with criminal records face in our society," said Marshall. "It's time for our elected officials to take action and remove these barriers so that everyone can have a fair chance at success. With partnerships and events happening in Los Angeles (Community Reflections Inc Resource Center), Oregon (Clackamas Workforce Partnership), and Missouri (The Garden Collection), they amplify this message in their work with us during this week. "

Since its national inception in 2018, N.E.W. has made significant strides in transforming lives by generating tangible results for over 2,100 individuals who have begun the expungement process. Additionally, N.E.W.'s wraparound services have provided support to more than 9,000 individuals through voter registration assistance, job support programs, health screenings, housing aid, transportation relief, community policing/public safety initiatives, and food insecurity solutions while also reducing or clearing fines for approximately 950 individuals. Through pro bono legal counsel from Dentons Law Firm along with past sponsors' generosity, N.E.W incubates Week of Action & Awareness events that cover most costs associated with necessary legal services required due to fees penalties preventing eligible people from undergoing expungement procedures or record sealing processes.

About National Expungement Works

National Expungement Works (N.E.W.) is a shift to emancipate justice-impacted communities exploited by systemic inequities. Our holistic year-round programming includes legal relief, wraparound services, and advocacy for expanded access to expungement. You should be able to show up and address whatever can be expunged, sealed, reclassified, or set aside in your state. We build and restore pathways for generational healing and wealth. For more information, please visit newxnow.org or follow N.E.W. on  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

LaTorie Marshall

National Expungement Works (N.E.W.)

[email protected]

202-270-4046

Media Contact

The Real Amnesty Project

[email protected]

http://www.newxnow.org