Saturday's 'Changing Legacies' clinic is part of an effort to help people impacted by marijuana-related arrests or convictions to expunge their records.
Governor Baker wants to address driving under the influence in his remaining time in office. "Just having any interaction with the criminal justice system may mean that you cannot find housing or a means to provide for yourself," said Dennis, staff attorney for theThat's why on Saturday, she was in Somerville giving people free legal advice on whether they qualify to have their marijuana-related convictions expunged, and if they do, how to start the process.
According to Ventura Dennis, with Greater Boston Legal Services, convictions and dismissed charges could be eligible for expungement, both of which can negatively impact your ability to find stability. "Convictions are a huge roadblock to finding jobs, finding housing and finding training opportunities," said Dennis."But dismissed charges can also be just as difficult to get past because employers usually don't understand or take into account that the charge was dismissed."
Saturday's clinic was held at the Connexion United Methodist Church in Somerville. The Church's reverend, Jordan Harris, says expunging these records should be important for everyone in the community. "It's an imperative, actually," said Harris."We continue to have eviction crises on our hands. We continue to have a lot of unhoused folks. We just continue to struggle as a whole, as a community," said Harris."I understand as a Black woman, I understand the discrepancies and how easy it is to get arrested, if you are a person of color, if you're Black, and if you made a mistake," said Packnett.
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