Prairie State is collaborating with the Public Interest Law Initiative to conduct the Spring 2021 Virtual Expungement Clinic for people in Rock Island, Henry, Lee, Mercer and Whiteside Counties in Illinois, according to a news release from Equal Justice Works Fellow Kevin Hempy.

Hempy said the program was meant to help people with old criminal records move forward.

"A lot of folks in the community are struggling to access employment or housing," Hempy said. "And, if the records are cleared the path to higher education can be much smoother."

The clinic will pair clients with volunteer attorneys and paralegals from Deere & Company, Lane & Waterman and other other community organizations.

Anyone who is interested in participating in the clinic can sign up by calling 309-283-3744 or at this link.  

Hempy said he'd seen the clinic done in other places and wanted to bring the program here.

"I felt like it could really be a benefit to people in this area."