As part of a citywide anti-poverty initiative, the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is offering residents the opportunity to clear their criminal records for free.
For the next several months, the organization will help host more than 30 record-clearing clinics staffed with lawyers from the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Community Legal Services, and Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity.
The hope is that these clinics will put thousands of people in a better position to succeed in life. Criminal records can be a barrier to employment, but also to securing housing or a college or vocational degree.