Cook County State's Attorney's Office:
Press Releases

Richard A. Devine
Cook County State's Attorney
500 Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 603-3423
www.statesattorney.org

Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine announced that his office, in conjunction with Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, Congressman Danny Davis, State Representative Connie Howard, other elected officials and an array of governmental, legal, community and religious organizations, is sponsoring an Adult and Juvenile Expungement Summit at 8:30 a.m., Saturday July 9, at Austin High School, 231 N. Pine St.

The summit will provide information to both adults and juveniles on expunging, or sealing, their criminal records in instances where it is allowed by law. Volunteer attorneys will help participants prepare petitions for sealing records. The State's Attorney's Office, the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police will hold information sessions on their expungement petition review process, and a member of the judiciary will discuss its expungement review process.

"This is an opportunity for individuals who qualify for expungement to have a second chance at a better quality of life and prove to the community that they have turned their lives around," said Devine.

Individuals who do not qualify for expungement will attend a panel discussion, conducted by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, to learn about Certificates of Good Conduct and Relief from Disabilities, as well as how to prepare letters for clemency and/or pardons from the governor.

Other agencies will provide information on employment, job training, health care, housing and other services for ex-offenders. The Illinois Department of Employment Security will hold an information session on job placement for ex-offenders.

To have a petition filed on site, the petitioner must bring a criminal history and filing fees, which may include $60 for the Clerk's Office and, for juvenile cases only, $60 for the Illinois State Police; $9 for a certified record of disposition; and $4 for certification in juvenile cases only. If the case involved is a Class 4 Felony drug case, the petitioner will have to provide the results of a drug test taken within the past 30 days.

The Expungement Summit is being sponsored by the State's Attorney's Office, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Congressman Danny Davis, State Representative Connie Howard, Congressman Bobby Rush, County Commissioner Earlean Collins, County Commissioner Bobbie Steele, the Westside Ministers Coalition, Safer Foundation, Cabrini Green Legal Assistance, the Public Defender's Office, C.A.P.S., Southside Baptist Ministers Alliance, New Baptist Ministers Fellowship, Proviso Ministerial Alliance, the Illinois Attorney General's Office, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Attorneys Advisory Committee and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

- Back -