How to expunge a criminal record in Illinois - When Identity Theft Gives You a Criminal Record. While most identity theft victims experience financial losses or damage to their credit history, other I.D. victims will discover -- usually by accident -- that their personal information (name/birthdate) was used by someone else when arrested.
Read MoreExecutive Clemency Illinois During the Age of COVID. Whether or not Governor Pritzker’s administration wants to acknowledge it, COVID has left its mark on the clemency process in Illinois. COVID’s Impact on Executive Clemency. The first indication that COVID would have an impact on the clemency process occurred in April when the Prisoner Review Board (PRB/Board) cancelled its public hearings.
Read MoreOn the eve of the last presidential election in 2016 I wrote about which states allowed convicted felons to vote. At the time it was estimated that 6.1 million U.S. citizens – 2.5% of all potentially eligible voter -- could not vote due to a felony conviction. In the four years since writing that article I can at least report that a few states have since changed course -- making it easier for ex-felons to regain their right to vote.
Read MoreRecently, two clients of mine underwent job-related, criminal background checks. In one case, the background check falsely reported that my client had an outstanding warrant for an old felony case. She lost the job opportunity.
In the other instance, the background check disclosed a felony conviction I’d helped my client seal several years earlier. At the time of this writing, I do not know if my client, who was originally hired without undergoing a background check but then applied for a promotion – prompting the recent background check – still has a job.
Read More
Much has been written about the absence of fathers in African American households. There are many factors contributing to this family crisis, not the least being that our criminal justice system disproportionately targets men and boys of color -- many of whom are fathers.
Read More
The Georgia Congressman came to Chicago at the invitation of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, a non-profit, Evanston-based, legal aid agency. Rep. Lewis agreed to be the guest of honor at the Moran Center’s annual spring gala that year. It’s not that often I get excited about meeting a public figure. In 2018, I was fortunate to meet Congressman John Lewis. I was excited.
Read More