McPHERSON, Kan. — A total of 41 individuals were provided assistance last week in seeking expungement of old criminal cases during a clinic in McPherson put on by Kansas Legal Services with assistance from the McPherson Housing Coalition.
Executive Director Matthew Keenan said this project can be viewed somewhat as a workforce development project “In this day and age, about one in three Americans have some criminal matter in some point of their life, and about nine in ten employers do extensive background checks, and old criminal matters can be a red flag and keep people from getting jobs they would otherwise be entitled to hold,” Keenan said.
Kansas has some of the more lenient laws in the country when it comes to this, but the process can be intimidating. Keenan said this involves accessing old criminal records and understanding what happened, along with having any sentences fully served and all fines and court costs paid. “For most Kansans, it’s a little intimidating to get their arms around those,” he pointed out.
In addition to KLS staff attorneys, volunteer attorneys from across the state also assist in these clinics. These clinics are held several times a year across the state, and on Oct. 21, there will be a statewide virtual clinic held. For information on that, go to www.kansaslegalservices.org/clinics2025.
