Expungement clinic offers free clinic for a chance to clear records

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk’s office hosted a record expungement clinic in Westwood on Saturday.

For many, it was the first step to a fresh start.

“You can’t do it all at once, but you can take that very next step,” Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Pastor Melvin Watkins said.

For many people in Memphis, the expungement clinic at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church was that next step.

The free clinic offered more than just a chance to clear records.

“They can get their eligibility checked, they can check if they owe child support,” Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn said.

Kuhn tells Action News, more than 7,000 people have had their records expunged since 2018, an effort she says plans to continue.

“You know we have a lot of crime in Memphis and Shelby County,” Kuhn said. “And if we are not a part of the solution, we’re a part of the problem.”

Kuhn says the clinics help turn lives around and improve communities.

She says on average, between 100 and 500 people attend the clinics and they’re usually able to expunge about 20 percent of those records.

“And I look at it is, if we can’t lift them up and help them change, we’re going to continue to see that cycle,” she said.

As for Pastor Watkins, he says he’s grateful his church is able to host a space that is helping people change.

“Second chances are important,” he said. Third chances are important. Sometimes you just need another chance. It’s important because whatever may have happened in a person’s life ... that’s not necessarily their destiny.”

If you’re in need of services, contact the Shelby county criminal court clerk’s office, at www.ShelbyCountyTN.gov and apply online or visit 201 Poplar for assistance.

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