Oakland County, Michigan Works! Launch Expungement Program

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — Oakland County residents with criminal convictions can have some offenses expunged from their public records through a new program launched this week by the county and Michigan Works!, potentially opening a door to more employment opportunities, housing and education.

County officials announced the Oakland County Clean Slate Program this week. The program offers free legal help to people seeking expungement of some criminal convictions from their public records.

Anyone interested in looking into the process can request expungement online.

“This program clearly has the potential to help some of our residents pursue full time employment without the worry of being turned away because of past mistakes,” Oakland County Executive David Coulter said. “Clean Slate is a win-win for both our returning residents and employers, who were already facing a shortage of people to hire before the COVID-19 hit the county last year. That scarcity of workers has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.”

According to a 2019 University of Michigan report, 6.5 percent of people eligible for expungement take advantage of the process in Michigan. That lack of participation is due to a lack of familiarity, county officials said in a news release. But people who complete the expungement process earn an average 25 percent increase in wages within two years, according to the county.

“We’re so excited to be launching this program, which we expect will truly have a positive impact on so many people and employers,” said Jennifer Llewellyn, director of Oakland County Michigan Works! “Expunging certain felonies and misdemeanors provides new career opportunities for people but also has a significant impact on the size of the labor market and pool of job candidates available to employers in Oakland County and across Southeast Michigan.”

The program is being funded through a $314,500 allocation from the state, with a total of $4 million being awarded to 16 Michigan Works! agencies across Michigan. The funds cover staff time, documentation and court fees associated with the expungement process. The program is currently scheduled to run through June 2022.

Program eligibility details

• Up to three felony convictions may be expunged after seven years (only two may be for assaultive crimes and no more than one felony conviction for the same offense if the offense is punishable by more than 10 years imprisonment).
• An unlimited number of misdemeanor convictions may be expunged after three years.
• Serious misdemeanors and one felony conviction may be expunged after five years.
• Various traffic offenses may be expunged.
• A person can petition to set aside misdemeanor marijuana offenses if they would not have been a crime after recreational use was legalized.
• Multiple felonies or misdemeanors arising from the same 24-hour period are treated as one conviction for the purposes of expungement (none of the offenses can be assaultive, involve the use or possession of a dangerous weapon, or carry a maximum penalty of 10 or more years in prison).

Convictions that cannot be expunged from a criminal record include

• Felonies that carry a maximum punishment of life in prison
• Attempt to commit a felony for which the maximum punishment is life
• Felony domestic violence (if the person had a previous domestic violence misdemeanor)
• Child abuse
• Most criminal sexual conduct offenses
• DUI and traffic offenses causing injury or death