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'I've been turned down on applications for housing': Goodwill hosts expungement clinic in Louisville

According to the American Bar Association, expungement erases a criminal conviction off of someone's record by destroying it or sealing it away.

Goodwill held an expungement clinic on Thursday to help give those with previous criminal convictions in Louisville a second chance at a normal life.

According to the American Bar Association, expungement erases a criminal conviction off of someone's record by destroying it or sealing it away, and essentially treating the conviction as though it never happened.

Anyone who signed up for the clinic got free legal advice from experts, and if they qualified for expungement, they were guided through the process free of charge.

"I've been turned down on applications for housing, I've been turned down for jobs," participant Annie O'Dell said. "I've gotten the job and when it comes to the background coming in, or arriving at the company, they've just let me go. And let me know they don't need my services. So having this opportunity to remove those barriers is a beautiful thing for myself and for my life."

A Goodwill representative said they had the capacity to help about 50 individuals with expungement.

To figure out the first steps you have to take to start the expungement process in Kentucky, click this link.

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