‘It Can Change Your Life’ – County Pop-Ups Offer Justice-Involved Clients a Path to a New Beginning
Resource fairs offering expungement, warrant clearance, re-entry assistance and more planned for South County and San José in coming months
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. – Raymond’s second chance began on Oct. 16, 2024, 18 months after he was released from custody after serving time for crimes he’d committed nearly two decades before.
Things hadn’t been looking so good since he got out. The 44-year-old was repeatedly turned down by potential employers because of his status as a convicted felon. It was like a brand, a stigma that he couldn’t shake.
“You apply for jobs, and you keep getting denied,” Raymond said. “They’re going to tell you that you can’t pass this background check and that’s that, you can’t get that job. And any job you can get won’t be a job in which you can take care of your family because of the rent costs out here.”
But Oct. 16 was the day his record was expunged, and the start of Raymond’s new life.
It began last April with a trip to the first Santa Clara County Pop-Up Court and Resource Fair, created by the Public Defender’s Office for justice-involved clients. The event was held in honor of April being designated Second Chance Month and brought resources from the County, nonprofits and potential employers to one location for convenient one-stop shopping. The thrust of the event was to offer legal help such as record expungement, fine reductions, and warrant clearance for missed court dates.
“This has been about removing barriers to people being able to get jobs or housing or benefits,” said Public Defender Damon Silver. “It’s also about getting them back into court if they have any sort of outstanding warrants, as well as addressing any sort of outstanding fines and fees.”
The fair was immediately a hit, with more than 265 client interactions and about 175 requests for expungement, including Raymond. They held another event in September with similar results and expanded it in November to include the array of services offered by the Re-Entry Department: medical and psychiatric services, food, clothing, shelter and housing, substance use referrals, general assistance and more.
“We want to bring awareness that we exist, that we bring re-entry services to the table,” said Javier Aguirre, Director of Re-Entry Services. “But it’s also to showcase the partnerships that we have with Health and Human Services, along with law enforcement agencies, all to support the well-being of our clients. We want to make sure that they don't end up going back to jail – instead they can come here and reconnect in their communities.”
They’ve also added a pop-up judge to the mix, who can help with warrants and expungements on the spot.
“It’s not often that judges come out into the community,” said Superior Court Judge Stephen Manley. “There’s not that many courts that do this and I urge you to let others know so they will come here and take advantage of it.”
In March, they’re planning to take the event to South County and then bring it back to San José in April, possibly North County later in the year. The goal is to bring the services to different geographical areas, rotating among local communities.
“The idea of this plan is to take it to places with people in need,” said Brandon Cabrera, an attorney with the District Attorney’s Office, which can dismiss old cases and seal them. “St. James Park, Gilroy, places where we will literally take these services – and the court – to the people. To the encampments. To wherever they may be at so we can service them. We want to remove that last hurdle from them getting back on their feet and getting the job that they’re looking for.”
It's working for Raymond. Soon after Oct. 16, he started driving for a ride-hailing company that had previously rejected him because of the background check, and now he’s getting by. And he has hope: Raymond just accepted a job offer from a community health nonprofit, with a start date exactly two years after his release date.
“The difference is night and day,” he said. “It’s already a long way from the life I was living. And I want to tell people they can change their lives. No matter what they were doing – I didn’t think I could get my record expunged, it being what it was. But someone recommended it, I signed up for it and it got expunged. I want to tell people, if someone wants to give you a hand and they’re saying they’re trying to help, take your shot. It can change your life.”