A free clinic Tuesday at Versailles Presbyterian Church gave people with criminal convictions a chance to expunge their records – and improve their ability to get a better job, and life. Chess Clark is with the state Department of Public Advocacy’s post-conviction unit.
“A lot of people are looking to, you know, turn their lives around. And it's hard to do it. If you have, you know, a criminal background. A lot of places won't hire you. You can't get a good place to live and, you know, rebuild.”
Clark said some expungement cases involve additional filing fees. The event was sponsored by the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Versailles. Ryan Short, a mother of three who came from Nicholasville for help expunging felony drug charges, said she touched by the “kindness of strangers.”
“That's really great. I love that. People actually care about people and to give me a second chance, it's great, because I am not what my felonies are. I'm not that person.”
The expungement process begins with a background check by state police and the City of Versailles set aside enough money to pay for 75 of those.
