Dolton trustee hosts expungement workshop to help residents seal criminal records

Trustee Tammy Brown hosted an expungement workshop at Lester Long Field House in the Village of Dolton that provided one-on-one attorney consultations for residents seeking to seal or expunge criminal records, organizers said.

Organizers and advocates said the event combined immediate legal help with education on new state laws, employment protections and pathways to entrepreneurship, aiming to reduce barriers to housing and work for people with past convictions.

A presenter told attendees, "Today is a day of expungements or to seal your records. We have people coming out from all over the Southland to see if they can possibly expunge or seal their records." The workshop offered one-on-one access to attorneys who reviewed records, initiated sealing or expungement petitions and explained legal rights, organizers said.

A representative of the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments led a "know your rights" session and said, "Once people complete their terms of incarceration, probation, parole, people should be able to live life without barriers. So our organization is doing a lot of organizing work around the state to remove these barriers." The coalition's presentation covered new state laws and job protections, organizers said.

A staff member at the event said, "Our goal is to walk with you all throughout the process until it's done," describing follow-up support rather than a single-session service. Volunteers, legal teams and advocates were present to offer both immediate relief and long-term strategy, organizers said.

Organizers described the workshop as part of broader community outreach rather than a formal government program; no formal votes or policy actions occurred during the event. Attendees and organizers emphasized the workshop's practical goal of helping people move toward stability, employment and entrepreneurship by clearing or sealing eligible records.