Thursday’s Juvenile Expungement Clinic marks a first for the Office of Reentry Partnerships

The youth clinic, taking place in Germantown, coincides with Philly’s Reentry Awareness Month and marks a step toward expanding juvenile services at the office.

This Thursday marks a first for the city’s Office of Reentry Partnerships when they host a Juvenile Record Expungement Clinic. And it’ll happen right here, in Germantown, at the Juvenile Justice Center.

According to First Deputy Officer Pat Jones-Thompson, it’s an effort to expand their assistance to young people – something she says Executive Director Assata Thomas has been discussing for over a year.

“It’s such a need to provide services for young people,” Jones-Thompson said. “And so as part of Philadelphia Reentry Awareness Month for June, we didn’t want to exclude our juvenile participants.”

She said that for adjudicated delinquent youth 14 or older, a widespread assumption is that the record will be automatically expunged or sealed when they reach the legal age. However, that’s not the case.

To further support young people, workshops will also be held to provide them with information on the eligibility for expungement and the process. Workshops on juvenile rights, as well as the legal consequences of gun possession, will also be held.

Providing the workshop is a partnered organization, the Defenders Association.

Eligibility for youth expungements includes:

Non-guilty charges are expungeable immediately
Withdrawn/dismissed charges and consent decrees are eligible six months after discharge if there are no new charges
Misdemeanor adjudications (excluding gun/sex offenses) are eligible two years after discharge without new charges
Felony and gun/sex offense misdemeanors are eligible five years after discharge without new charges

To help create a welcoming environment, there will be no police officers on site or invited to the event. Jones-Thompson says it’s essential to be “mindful” of the views of the youth population.

Aside from expungements and workshops, youth and families can expect food and music to help lighten the mood and up the fun.

While identification is helpful, it’s not required. Attorneys can look up information on the spot.

The clinic will take place on June 12 at 100 W. Coulter Street, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. TO register, use their digital form. For any questions, contact sadaqah.harris-gaine@phila.gov.

For those who cannot attend on Thursday, Jones-Thompson suggests reaching out by calling (215) 683-3370 or emailing orp@phila.gov.