A background check revealing a criminal record can result in missed job opportunities, loss of a current position or promotion, tainted credit, and even denial of a regulatory license or college admission. This handbook covers the range of remedies available for a client with a criminal record, including expungement, sealing, clemency, certificates of good conduct, certificates of relief from disabilities, findings of factual innocence, and waivers. It also includes chapters on juvenile expungement; criminal identity theft; employment, housing, and other related critical support; and how Illinois empowers rehabilitated people with criminal records.
Chapter 1 — Expungement and Sealing: A Lawyer’s Guide
Beth A. Johnson, Rights and Restoration Law Group, LLC, Chicago
Chapter 2 — Juvenile Expungement
Cynthia Cornelius, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Chicago
Chapter 3 — Expungement and Sealing in Cook County
Marjie M. Nielsen, Next Step Legal Services, and Drew W. Curle, Greater Chicago Legal Clinic, Chicago
Chapter 4 — Criminal Identity Theft
Carly R. Patzke Reyes, Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, Chicago
Chapter 5 — Employment, Housing, and Other Related Critical Support
Chapter 6 — Pardon and Expungement
Kenneth D. Tupy, Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Springfield
Chapter 7 — Blueprint for Progress: How Illinois Empowers Rehabilitated People Who Have Criminal Records
Logan C. Bierman, Kutnick Law, Chicago
