Based on the response to a Sept. 26 criminal-record expungement screening at the Warren County Justice Center, the Southcentral Kentucky Workforce Development Board’s expungement fair Oct. 25 is being opened up to more people who might face barriers to career advancement because of their criminal records.

The Sept. 26 screening attracted 84 people seeking information about the process of having their criminal records expunged. Robert Boone, president and CEO of the workforce board, said 28 of them were deemed work-ready based on their skills, education and work history. Those and many others gained information from Kentucky Legal Aid and the Department of Public Advocacy about the process of having their criminal records expunged.

“It exceeded my expectations,” Boone said of the Sept. 26 screening. “Even those not eligible for expungement that day got information for when they are eligible.”

T.J. Shockley-Hunt, regional manager of program services for Goodwill Industries in Bowling Green and a member of the Workforce Development Board, is spearheading both the screening event and the Oct. 25 expungement fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the justice center, 1001 Center St. She said the original plan was for the Oct. 25 expungement fair to be only for those pre-screened at the September event. Now she says it will be open to additional people seeking general information about expungement.

The expungement events tie in with House Bill 40, which passed last year in the Kentucky General Assembly and allows certain Class D felony convictions to be expunged.

The process can be complicated, according to Shockley-Hunt, and that’s where the expungement fair comes in.

“A lot of folks were not real educated about the process,” she said. “We had several candidates indicate that they didn’t have anything on their criminal record because they thought it went away after seven years or so. They had bad information, and this event was an opportunity to share the knowledge we have about that.”

The ultimate goal is to help address this region’s workforce needs, Boone said. He pointed out that the 10-county region served by the workforce board has more than 5,000 current job openings. Some of those jobs could be filled by people who might be held back by criminal records.

“This is a workforce initiative,” Boone said. “There are many good workers who may be shut out of jobs because of mistakes they made in the past. This is an opportunity to learn more about the process and enable our human services agencies to better serve their clients.”

Volunteer attorneys will be available at the expungement fair to help those eligible for expungement fill out the paperwork. Information will be available on potential assistance with paying the costs of expungement.

Even those who may not be eligible for expungement can benefit from the fair, Shockley-Hunt said.

“From a workforce perspective, there are things we can do for potential workers even if they’re not eligible for expungement,” she said. “There are employers who will hire folks with criminal records.”

Boone says the local workforce board is the only one in the state offering this kind of assistance with the expungement process. He would like to see it continue.

“I would like to see our board involved in this on a regular basis,” he said. “That’s why the state started the whole expungement process.”

Both Boone and Shockley-Hunt said they expect the expungement fair to become an annual event.

More information about the Oct. 25 expungement fair can be found by calling the Kentucky Career Center at 270-746-7425.