A 'Clean Slate Lexington' expungement clinic and job fair will be held next week, offering second chances to hundreds of Lexingtonians.
The event offers residents a chance to have their criminal record expunged and talk to employers looking to fill open positions.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the Clean Slate Lexington clinics are focused on people who have misdemeanors and non-violent felonies on their criminal records.
“I am a firm believer in second chances, and expungement truly provides that opportunity,” Gorton said.
The city's Equity and Implementation Officer, Tiffany Brown organizes the Clean Slate events and says she believes in "mercy and justice."
“The Clean Slate Expungement Clinic is designed to help individuals clear their criminal records by removing barriers that stood in the way of employment, housing, and personal development.”
Aretha Fisher is one of more than 13 hundred residents in Lexington who have been given a second chance through a 'Clean Slate' event after serving her sentence. She calls the program life-changing.
“Since my expungement, I have completed going to school, obtained my SRNA, I am currently working at the University of Kentucky Hospital as a certified nursing assistant, and I believe there is more for me.”
Second-chance programs have helped decrease recidivism rates over the last several years across the state. Christi Sorrell with the Kentucky Department of Corrections says that means fewer people released from jail end up committing other crimes and returning to prison, leading to a reduction in crime.
This will be the sixth expungement event in Lexington. It will be held next Wednesday, October 30th from 10-3 at the Central Bank Center.
