HOLLAND, Mich. — An expungement clinic was held at the Ottawa County Public Defender’s Office Friday afternoon.
There, people were able to get ahold of their conviction records, be fingerprinted, fill out paperwork and set court dates.
“Most of the clients that we see are decent, ordinary people who make a bad decision,” says Assistant Public Defender Patrick Kolehouse. “The people that we're seeing today are those same clients five years from now who have gone on to prove they can be good community members, good parents, hard workers, contribute to the community, and their conviction from long ago is holding them back from doing that.”
This is the second expungement event this year. Sixty-one people had their criminal records expunged in April.
"In Ottawa County, we understand that some residents have made mistakes in their pasts, have served their sentences, and are on roads to better lives. Criminal records can put obstacles in those paths for those residents and their families,” Kolehouse adds. “We want to ease that burden so these residents can more easily find jobs, housing and other opportunities for better futures."
READ MORE: Clean Slate Pathway aims to raise awareness for state's expungement laws, provide legal help
