FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | November 9, 2022
Contact: Scott Goss (302) 744-4180
Contact: Scott Goss (302) 744-4180
ADVISORY : Senator Darius Brown to host
expungement fairs in Newark and Dover next week
WHAT: Senator Darius Brown will host expungement fairs in Newark and Dover this month to help Delawareans learn how they can earn a second chance at life.
“Delawareans with a criminal record for even the lowest level crimes historically have faced barriers to employment, housing and an education – a lasting punishment that can haunt them long after their sentence is complete,” said Senator Darius Brown, D-Wilmington. “Since I first created the adult expungement process in 2019, hundreds of people have replaced those barriers to economic opportunity with avenues to upward mobility. The expungement fairs we’re holding this month will help dozens more take their first steps down the road to redemption.”
A limited number of free, one-on-one expungement counseling sessions will be available at each fair for those who register online, by phone at (302) 744-4089 or by scanning the attached QR code. Counseling spaces will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis to those who register before November 15.
More than 500 people have received help with getting the expungement process started at similar events sponsored by Senator Brown since 2019 when the Adult Expungement Reform Act significantly expanded the availability of expungements to Delawareans beyond the previously narrow population of people who have received a pardon or were charged but never convicted of a crime.
Building on that success, Senator Brown last year passed Senate Bill 111, also known as the Clean Slate Act, to automate Delaware’s existing expungement process for thousands of adults and juveniles by eliminating the need for them to first file a petition with the State Bureau of Identification. Initial estimates indicate more than 290,000 adults would benefit immediately from the Clean Slate Act once it is fully implemented.
Senate Bill 112, passed in 2021, also expanded the eligibility for mandatory expungements filed with SBI for certain convictions – regardless of a person’s prior or subsequent criminal record. These offenses include marijuana possession, drug paraphernalia possession, underage possession or consumption of alcohol, and cases involving multiple violation convictions.
This month’s expungement fairs are being held in partnership with the Office of Defense Services, the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System, the Methodist Action Program, the APEX Program, and other community partners.
WHO: Senator Darius Brown
Officials from the Office of Defense Services
Officials from the APEX Program
Officials from the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System (DELJIS)
Community members
WHEN: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for both expungement fairs
WHERE: November 16 – Newark United Methodist Church
69 East Main Street
Newark, DE 19711
November 18 – Whatcoat United Methodist Church
341 Saulsbury Road
Dover, DE 19904
“Delawareans with a criminal record for even the lowest level crimes historically have faced barriers to employment, housing and an education – a lasting punishment that can haunt them long after their sentence is complete,” said Senator Darius Brown, D-Wilmington. “Since I first created the adult expungement process in 2019, hundreds of people have replaced those barriers to economic opportunity with avenues to upward mobility. The expungement fairs we’re holding this month will help dozens more take their first steps down the road to redemption.”
A limited number of free, one-on-one expungement counseling sessions will be available at each fair for those who register online, by phone at (302) 744-4089 or by scanning the attached QR code. Counseling spaces will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis to those who register before November 15.
More than 500 people have received help with getting the expungement process started at similar events sponsored by Senator Brown since 2019 when the Adult Expungement Reform Act significantly expanded the availability of expungements to Delawareans beyond the previously narrow population of people who have received a pardon or were charged but never convicted of a crime.
Building on that success, Senator Brown last year passed Senate Bill 111, also known as the Clean Slate Act, to automate Delaware’s existing expungement process for thousands of adults and juveniles by eliminating the need for them to first file a petition with the State Bureau of Identification. Initial estimates indicate more than 290,000 adults would benefit immediately from the Clean Slate Act once it is fully implemented.
Senate Bill 112, passed in 2021, also expanded the eligibility for mandatory expungements filed with SBI for certain convictions – regardless of a person’s prior or subsequent criminal record. These offenses include marijuana possession, drug paraphernalia possession, underage possession or consumption of alcohol, and cases involving multiple violation convictions.
This month’s expungement fairs are being held in partnership with the Office of Defense Services, the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System, the Methodist Action Program, the APEX Program, and other community partners.
WHO: Senator Darius Brown
Officials from the Office of Defense Services
Officials from the APEX Program
Officials from the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System (DELJIS)
Community members
WHEN: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for both expungement fairs
WHERE: November 16 – Newark United Methodist Church
69 East Main Street
Newark, DE 19711
November 18 – Whatcoat United Methodist Church
341 Saulsbury Road
Dover, DE 19904
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