Free Broward workshop will seal arrest records

A “not guilty” verdict isn’t always enough to clear someone’s name.

Prosecutors at the Broward State Attorney’s Office will join with defense lawyers and employees of the Broward Clerk of Courts in September for a “sealing and expungement workshop,” a free event for those who were arrested for certain crimes but never convicted.

The last workshop was held in May in Lauderdale Lakes. The next is scheduled for Sept. 20 in Deerfield Beach.

Sealing and expungement is not limited to those who are found not guilty at trial — sometimes defendants reach plea deals that call for a judge to withhold adjudication, which means the defendant is not formally convicted.

But the arrests can still show up in a criminal background check, eliminating the benefit of avoiding a conviction.

“If we really do believe in second chances, we shouldn’t give with one hand and take away with the other,” said Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office participates in the event. “These arrests change the arc of people’s lives. It affects their ability to get a job or an education grant. It takes something from them.”

Finkelstein praised his counterpart, State Attorney Mike Satz, for making the workshops possible.

“The State Attorney’s Office doesn’t have to do this, but they do,” he said. “And for that, they deserve to be applauded.”

The Sept. 20 workshop will run from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Oveta McKeithen Recreational Center, 445 SW 2nd Street in Deerfield Beach. Applicants must have photo identification.

Only cases that occurred in Broward County are eligible for review. While the event is free, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement requires a $75 fee to process expungement applications.

Hundreds of applicants are expected to attend — anyone in line by 7 p.m. will be served, according the the State Attorney’s Office.