Announcing ErasURecord at ErasURecord.ctlegal.org
Bridgeport, Connecticut September 26, 2016
Today, Connecticut Legal Services announced the launch of ErasURecord at ErasURecord.ctlegal.org. This is a new website that makes it easy for youth with a juvenile record to determine if they can get their record erased.
Juvenile records in Connecticut can become a barrier to getting a job, into college, housing or the military. ErasURecord connects youth between 14 and 24 years of age to Connecticut Legal Services for free help with the legal process AND to the WorkPlace Face Forward 3 program for free occupational skills training, ABE/GED preparation, tutoring and service learning projects to build workforce skills and more.*
Youthful transgressions of the law should not prevent a young person from gaining entry into the workforce. Given the number of youth with a juvenile record and the increasing number of employers and educational institutions asking about those records, erasure is an important tool to mitigate the negative consequences of juvenile delinquency. Erasing a juvenile record will allow youth to secure advanced educational opportunities, and start their work life with a clean slate.
Connecticut Legal Services created ErasURecord at ErasURecord.ctlegal.org because many young people do not know they are eligible to have their juvenile justice records erased and what the process is. The goal is to get their records erased as soon as possible to prevent them from missing out on educational opportunities and to prevent them from experiencing job rejection. We want them to have the educational, work and internship experiences that youth without juvenile records have.
ErasURecord makes the erasure process more accessible to young people who can find out if they are eligible to have their arrests, charges and juvenile convictions erased with just a few strokes on the keyboard. Visit ErasURecord.ctlegal.org to find out more or ctlegal.org to learn more about the other services we offer.
Connecticut Legal Services is a non-profit law firm which provides urgently needed civil legal help to very low-income residents throughout most of Connecticut. We use the law to provide access to justice, and to improve the lives of our clients. Connecticut Legal Services is proud to partner with the Bridgeport-based agency The Workplace on this project.
*Connecticut Legal Services and Face Forward 3 services are available for residents of these towns: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bridgeport, Darien, Derby, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport, Wilton. However, youth across the state can use ErasURecord to learn about erasing their juvenile records.
Contacts:
Nadine Nevins, Managing Attorney, Connecticut Legal Services, 203-212-5505, nnevins@connlegalservices.org
Tom Long, V.P. Communications and Development, The WorkPlace, 203-610-8528, tlong@workplace.org