Shannon was thrilled to get a stable job with better pay at a nearby hospital. However, after six weeks on the job, the hospital received her background check, and it revealed that she had two criminal charges on her record.
“They called me up and fired me on the spot,” Shannon said. “I had to leave immediately. I was devastated. It put a damper on my life.”
Fortunately, someone in human resources told her about Community Legal Aid and said the nonprofit civil law firm might be able to help Shannon get her record expunged.
“I asked her, if I get this expunged, can I get my job back? And she said, ‘Absolutely,’” Shannon recalled. “Then Legal Aid stepped up and helped me right away with the process.”
Shannon worked with Staff Attorney Josh Hinkel. Because one of her charges was for possession of drug paraphernalia, she qualified for legal aid help through a grant Community Legal Aid received from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation.
“Josh was amazing,” she said. “First of all, I was a nervous wreck because I needed to get back to work. I don't like the court system. It makes me anxious and upset. Once I got that call from Josh, it lifted so much weight off my shoulders, and I knew everything would be OK. He prepared me for court, then it was over, and we were done.”
A couple of weeks later, Shannon got her expungement paperwork back from the court and brought it to the hospital, which paved the way for her to return to her job there.
“It's wonderful,” she said. “It's nice to get my life back in order.”
Attorney Hinkel said criminal record expungement is key to helping people find and keep good jobs, which can make a big difference in their lives.
"A criminal record, no matter how low-level the offense may be, can significantly change the direction of a person's life,” he said. “A record can prevent a promotion, or, in the case of Shannon, prevent them from being employed. It can be stressful for these individuals when changing jobs because it is at the discretion of the employer whether they are hired or not. Even though the person may have had no issue working for one employer for years, another employer in the same industry may decide they cannot hire them due to their record.
"I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to come alongside Shannon and help her clear her record,” he added. “Stories like Shannon's are why Community Legal Aid's Assisting Reentering Citizens Project exists. We are here to help individuals get back on the right track."
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is a private, non-profit organization created at the direction of Ohio’s state and local leaders to distribute 55 percent of the funds our state will receive from the pharmaceutical industry as a consequence of its role in the national opioid epidemic. The Foundation works with local partners to support their substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts and invests funds to support these efforts for Ohioans into the future.