Lori, that website is very interesting, thank you for sharing!

I am glad that more information about expungement is being shared; the one thing that worries me about this, is that an expungement is not an easy, quick, or cheap process, nor does it totally erase your record. I'm worried that people look at expungements as a be-all-end-all solution when they are far from it. 

In North Carolina, the filing fee for an expungement is $175 (this does not consider any attorney fees). In the county where I live, expungments are currently taking an average of 10-18 months from the filing date. 

Even if you are granted an expungement, there are many third party reporting groups (police blotters, mug shots on the internet, Twitter accounts, etc.) that do not "erase" the information they have about your criminal history. Further, more and more employers and schools are asking for information about expunged records. 

There is debate over whether employers/schools, should ask about this, but some are still asking. Progress was made in NY in 2014 after the NY attorney general requested that 3 NY colleges drop a question they had been asking about sealed or expunged records. Since 2014, I have only come across one college application that asked about expunged records. Many licensure exams  also ask questions about expunged records. 

The military and study abroad programs often require you to divulge all criminal history information, including juvenile justice involvement and records that have been "expunged, dismissed, sealed or pardoned." Lying about this information on a US military application is a federal offense. Because expunging a record does get rid of most of the detailed information about an offense, it is incredibly difficult to obtain this information to share with groups such as the military who are "entitled" to request it. While an expunged charge for simple marijuana possession may not exclude you from serving in the military, if you aren't able to obtain the records related to the charge, you may not be accepted. 

Another issue is that the terminology used on applications can often times be confusing causing applicants with expunged records to respond in the affirmative when asked whether they have a criminal record. Ideally, people would call an attorney to ask how they should respond to a question, but attorneys may charge for phone calls or to look up your case. 

I'm a little bit biased, but I propose we implement more pre-arrest diversion programs so that we don't have to worry about expungements. 

Thank you Lori for sharing your colleague's website. Absolutely fascinating. Powerfully humbling. Innovative connection.

We Are All Criminals is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to inspire empathy and ignite social change through personal stories of crime, privilege, justice, and injustice, disrupting the barriers that separate us. As a result, we envision a more just and equitable world, where each of us is able to transcend our past and reach our full potential.

Please consider inviting your colleague to post a blog of her amazing organization. 

A colleague of mine has created a website and presentation that covers this topic:  weareallcriminals.org.  She has presented worldwide.  Check it out.