The 2025 Expungement Clinic is set to kick off on Thursday, February 27, 2025, starting at 6 pm at Seabrook Auditorium on the campus of Fayetteville State University. The event is hosted by Project Fresh Start, a non-profit organization owned by Charles Evans. Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin, and other private attorneys are also partnering with Project Fresh Start for the event, according to City View. The clinic is available at no cost to residents of Cumberland County, North Carolina.
City View reports a significant milestone, with over 1,000 Cumberland County residents having their records expunged since its interception in 2017. This success story sets a promising tone for the upcoming 2025 Expungement Clinic.
What is Expungement?
According to the NC Courts, an expunction is a legal process of removing a criminal conviction or a criminal charge from a person’s record and to seal or destroy the state’s records of the arrest, charge, and/or conviction.
North Carolina Qualifications
Anybody in the state of North Carolina with the following circumstances can get their convictions and/or charges expunged: 1) Nonviolent felony/felonies conviction over 10 years ago, 2) Nonviolent misdemeanor(s) convictions from over 7 years ago, 3) Nonviolent felony convictions for crimes committed under 18 years old, and 4) Prostitution offenses.
Click on the highlighted link to see other circumstances that may qualify you to have your record expunge. Those who attend the event but don’t qualify for record expungement can still seek legal advice from experts.
Benefits of Record Expungement
Formerly justice involved individuals having a hard time in a society that claims they provide second chances. The daunting nightmare can be for formerly justice involved individuals to feel as if they have a scarlet letter engraved on them, whenever they see the question of if you ever been convicted or arrested on a job application or housing application as they try to integrate back into society.
North Carolina law protects those individuals with expunged criminal records from perjury and similar charges relating to failure to disclose an expunged record. Even employers who violate this law can be fined.
According to Rand and Gregory Law, under the North Carolina law, a person whose record has been expunged generally does not have to disclose their arrest, charge, or conviction on job applications, applications for housing, and in other settings where a criminal conviction may have a negative impact. Rand and Gregory Law also state that prospective employers and educational institutions can’t require applicants to disclose expunged entries.
A Path to a Fresh Start
Project Fresh Start aims to offer a fresh opportunity for individuals previously involved in the justice system who have encountered considerable challenges while seeking a second chance back into society. The recent “New Beginning” conference, which took place on February 10th in collaboration with NCWorks, Legal Aid of NC, and Fayetteville Technical Community College, exemplifies our dedication to this important mission.
Evans strives to take the initiative to help enable those individuals to reintegrate into society as constructive and responsible members of their communities.