AJP brought together Community Legal Services and Arizona State University’s Post Conviction Clinic from the Phoenix area, along with DNA Peoples Legal Services in Flagstaff, and the University of Arizona Civil Rights Restoration Clinic, Southern Arizona Legal Aid, and Just Communities Arizona–all from Tucson–to perform outreach and provide legal aid to help people expunge their past charges.

Lindsay and AJP seek to exonerate people who have been wrongfully convicted and correct cases of manifest injustice. To date, Lindsay and AJP have helped nearly four-dozen people get out of prison because of a wrongful conviction or unjust sentencing.

“When AJP clients are released from prison, they face barriers with background checks, which often impact their ability to obtain adequate housing and employment,” Lindsay said. “Expungement allows for a sort-of clean slate–sealing a criminal record for something that is no longer a crime–which, in turn, helps to remove some of the barriers for impacted individuals.”

The Reclaim Your Future expungement campaign is vital to the community because there is a need for the public to understand the law and the availability of free expungement resources, like Reclaim Your Future’s team of qualified attorneys.

You can ask Reclaim Your Future attorneys questions about expungement at the next clinic on Tuesday, June 11, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Chicanos Por La Causa, 8619 S. Avenida Del Yaqui, in Guadalupe.

Andy works with UArizona law students on facilitating marijuana expungement in accordance with Prop 207, the ballot initiative passed in 2020 that legalized adult recreational marijuana use in Arizona, created a pathway to expungement for those with a marijuana-related arrest or conviction, and led to the creation of the Reclaim Your Future campaign. The students also set up events where RYF holds clinics and help people petition for expungements. 

The most complex program the law students lead, Andy says, is a program that Andy oversees in collaboration with the Tucson City Attorney’s Office. During the 2023 fall semester, CRRC students worked on marijuana possession cases that had been prosecuted by the Tucson City Attorney’s Office and completed more than 17,000 petitions, which are now being filed in the Tucson City Court at a rate of about 50 petitions per week. The project continues this spring when CRRC students will focus on marijuana paraphernalia cases.

Expungement is, obviously, an important issue to Andy. As a lawyer serving his community for more than 50 years, he always felt that at least marijuana should be legalized and those who had been convicted of marijuana offenses should be exonerated. 

“This became particularly vivid to me when I represented a person on a post-conviction matter who was given a 4- to 6-year prison sentence for possessing a small amount of marijuana,” Andy says. “It was just an extension of the work I was already doing to become involved in the marijuana expungement movement.”

Andy says the expungement campaign is important to the community because, in his work as the director of the CRRC, he has spoken to many people who have been denied jobs and housing because of minor marijuana convictions or charges. Andy feels that it is unfair for a person to be denied a job, housing, or their civil rights because of past convictions, particularly marijuana-related ones.

“The community is stronger now that those with marijuana-related matters on their record can get those things expunged and feel they are more part of the community,” Andy adds.

When asked about plans for the future, Andy says that he hopes “to do more traveling with my wife, which we now restrict to doing during the summers and school breaks because of my work.  I also have two grandchildren, whom I enjoy spending time with and would like to spend more time with.”

For more information about upcoming CRRC expungement events, keep an eye on the Reclaim Your Future events calendar.  

Unlocking Opportunities: The Power of Expungement

At the core of CLS’ mission, in collaboration with the Reclaim Your Future campaign, is the removal of barriers for individuals with a marijuana-related conviction or arrest history.

“Our work empowers our clients to follow their dreams,” says Josh, emphasizing the transformative impact of expungement on employment, education, housing and overall life opportunities. “It is a privilege to work with our clients, to be on this journey with them to improve their lives.”

As part of their support network, Josh and the CLS team become advocates for those facing obstacles and uphill battles in their quest to move on from the stigma of a conviction or arrest history. Witnessing clients excited about their prospects and embracing a positive outlook is the driving force behind their work.

“For me, it is a privilege to work with (clients) and show them that there is support available,” Josh says.

Expanding Horizons: CLS’s Outreach Initiatives

Looking ahead, Josh envisions broadening CLS’ impact across Arizona. “Our goals include increasing our outreach in Maricopa County, as well as throughout the state,” he says. Recent outreach events in western Arizona, including La Paz and Mohave counties, have laid the foundation for informing and assisting Arizonans who can benefit from CLS’ services.

Josh’s involvement in the Reclaim Your Future campaign has exposed him to the widespread need for outreach efforts.

“The positive effect on our clients,” he says, “is clear and powerful.”

For upcoming events where you might meet Josh and the CLS expungement team, see the RYF events calendar here.

AJP’s summer expungement interns assist with the day-to-day activities of the Reclaim Your Future campaign, including vetting eligible cases, assisting with research projects, and planning events. Each agrees that their work has significantly impacted their view of the criminal justice system in the U.S. and its effects on underserved and hyper-criminalized communities of color.

“Marijuana records don’t just impact individuals, they impact the community,” Asha said. “Whilst I am not from Arizona, I do come from a place (U.K.) where people are held back by marijuana charges, misjudged, and not given a chance to prove themselves. Here in Arizona, the expungement campaign is a step in the right direction to rebuild a better community.”

Once their internships are complete, Mimi, Asha, and Holly are either certain they will pursue, or leaning toward, careers as attorneys. 

“I want to go to law school and become a criminal defense attorney,” Mimi said. “I want to contribute towards protecting individuals’ rights and ensuring everyone receives a fair trial and due process under the law. 

“I hate to see abuse of power,” Mimi added, “and I think everyone should be treated the same way regardless of status.

Working together on the only state-funded expungement effort in Arizona has turned this trio of tenacious interns into good friends and passionate advocates for expungement.

“Mimi is incredibly sweet, selfless, and always willing to give a helping hand,” Asha said. “And Holly is a true team player and advocate for what the expungement project is all about, doing everything and anything possible to get the best results. I look forward to learning from both of them the rest of this summer.”

Meet Mimi, Asha, and Holly at our next expungement clinic in Phoenix on Thursday, August 17, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Mesquite Library, 4525 E. Paradise Village Pkwy. N. For details, see https://azexpunge.org/legal-clinic/marijuana-expungement-clinic-phoenix-08-17-23/.

And guess who made the winning argument?

“The Court of Appeals has correctly interpreted the law, which will now allow many more people to benefit from the expungement process,” Cirzan told media the day the ruling he fought for was released. “The appellant in this case is both excited and appreciative to potentially get this off their record.”

At DNA, Adam provides legal advice and direct representation to a diverse group of low-income clients related to various civil matters. He has represented individuals in eviction, employment, family law, consumer fraud, public benefits and other civil cases. Adam also conducts outreach for the office at events throughout Coconino County and northern Arizona to provide information about DNA’s legal services to the public, especially the expungement help offered through the Reclaim Your Future campaign.

“I have always had a focus on public service and was a public defender for most of the first five years of my legal career,” Adam said. “I came to DNA so that I could continue to provide legal help to those who need it most in the context of civil law.”

Expungement work is important for the community, Adam believes, “because it allows people to move forward with their lives without being burdened by a criminal record.” With Adam’s and DNA’s help, their clients have obtained SNAP benefits, good employment and professional licenses after initially being denied or rejected because of a marijuana-related record.

“As a public defender, I witnessed many people being sentenced to lengthy prison terms often due to having previous felony convictions on their records,” Adam said. “Prior to the passage of Prop 207, Arizona did not have any law on the books that allowed for a felony conviction to be expunged, which means that even years and decades after a conviction, it could be used to enhance a sentence related to a new offense.

“Now,” he added, “people have the ability to expunge marijuana-related offenses, which in addition to allowing for better access to housing and employment, could help avoid a lengthy prison sentence in a future criminal case.”

Meet Adam at the George Willie Sr. Memorial Veterans’ Stand Down in Flagstaff on June 29th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort and Hotel, 22181 Resort Blvd.