One hundred thirty people attended the fall Johns Hopkins Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair on Saturday, Oct. 25, where Hopkins and Maryland Legal Aid were able to offer them the prospect of a fresh start. Ninety-two attendees were believed to have cases that could be expunged from their records, and petitions were prepared for another 309 individual cases—an average of more than three cases per client.
The event at Turner Concourse saved low-income Marylanders $5,430 in court fees. Along with free legal services and advice, the 11th installment of the expungement clinic also provided job and career resources, health education and screenings, vaccinations, housing assistance, insurance information, and other community resources coordinated by the Johns Hopkins Office of Government, Community, and Economic Partnerships.
"There's no other way to describe the impact—expungements help individuals reclaim their futures by removing an obstacle to employment, housing, and access to other benefits," said Maria Harris Tildon, vice president of government, community and economic partnerships for Johns Hopkins University and Medicine. "That is not only good for them, it's good for Baltimore."
Since 2020, Johns Hopkins and its partners have hosted 11 expungement clinics, where 1,462 clients have had their cases expunged and 3,875 petitions have been filed, resulting in a total savings of $60,220 in legal fees for clients.
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
