Center for Arkansas Legal Services offers to seal criminal records for free
The Center for Arkansas Legal Services is offering to seal criminal records for free on May 20.
Amber Quaid, communications director for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said the clinic will offer free civil legal advice covering misdemeanors and some felonies.
In partnership with Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, the Center for Arkansas Legal Services is hosting criminal record sealing clinics across the state.
The Fort Smith clinic will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 20, at Goodwill, 3225 South 74th St.
Appointments are preferred but not required. To set up an appointment, call (501) 376-3423.
Individuals should have a copy of their Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) report but can participate without one.
To find your ACIC report, visit www.bit.ly/ACIC_report. The report must be notarized before it is submitted. Places for notarization include your local library and any Arkansas Legal office.
Quaid encourages those who think they might not qualify for the clinic to go ahead and attend to have their questions answered.
She said that often “people don’t realize that’s a time constraint” that affects the ability to get a record sealed, compared with other factors.
Local attorneys interested in participating in the event can contact the Center for Arkansas Legal Services at probono@arkansaslegalservices.org.
“We’re trying to help everybody in our communities,” Quaid said, including those with criminal records and local attorneys.
For more information, visit www.arkansaslegal.org. Pardon packets can be found under the “Clean Slate Program” page.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: How to get your criminal records sealed for free in Fort Smith
