Thomas Trujillo, shakes hands with attorney Curtis Grow, after having a legal discussion as hundreds gather at Vivint Arena to take part in the Clean Slate Summit free expungement clinic, in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
More than 300 Utahns were able to clear their criminal records and get a second chance Tuesday at an event hosted by the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena.
Salt Lake City resident Brock Smith expunged his criminal record in December.
At a young age Smith got addicted to drugs which led to some other poor decisions and a criminal record. He turned his life around by going through treatment and even started a nonprofit called Fourlifers Incorporated to help others recovering from addiction.
Smith became a student in the social work program at the University of Utah but still faced challenges with housing and employment because of his criminal record.
Working with Clean Slate Utah and Rasa Legal, Smith was able to expunge his record through Utah’s Clean Slate law, allowing him better options and freedom in his future.
“You walk around knowing that you have this thing that makes you different from everyone else and you feel so isolated,” Smith said about having a criminal record.
Having events such as the one hosted by the Utah Jazz on Tuesday “makes the biggest difference,” Smith said, to help spread awareness of expungement and make it easily accessible to everyone.
Getting his record expunged, helped Smith feel like he no longer had a scarlet letter on him and that he was free.
Source:: Deseret News – Utah News