GRANITE CITY – Simmons Hanly Conroy will host “Second Chance Saturday” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Granite City Township Building, 2600 Delmar Ave., Granite City.
The “Second Chance Saturday” is to help eligible area residents expunge or seal criminal records; resolve outstanding traffic warrants, misdemeanor warrants, and ordinance violations without concern for arrest; register to vote; find employment; update their driver’s license; and more. Similar events took place in 2016 in Alton, Illinois and again in 2017 in Venice, Illinois. These events helped hundreds of people begin the expungement process as a first step at a second chance.
By offering pro-bono meetings with attorneys and bringing all the necessary agencies together to facilitate the expungement or sealing process, “Second Chance Saturday” will provide a unique opportunity for qualifying attendees to complete the entire application process in a single day – with free legal representation – allowing them to avoid the stress, uncertainty and protracted timelines of the traditional process that can often take 4-6 months to complete. Individuals with a criminal background often have difficulty re-entering the workforce or finding housing. An expungement or sealing can give people a second chance by removing that barrier caused by a past encounter with the law years ago.
