Over 200 residents in Oʻahu had a semblance of burden lifted this past weekend, as a free legal clinic provided much-needed assistance for those entangled in the tendrils of legal barriers that impede basics of life such as employment, housing, and education. According to the Hawaii State Judiciary's news release, the Expungement & Bench Warrant Recall Clinic, held on September 20 at the Office of the Public Defenders, saw the servicing of 212 individuals seeking to clear their records or address bench warrants.
The clinic not only processed 143 applications for expungement, but it also facilitated the recall of 68 outstanding District Court bench warrants, setting new court dates for those involved. More than 50 volunteers, including attorneys, law students, and community partners gave their time to aid their fellow citizens. Judiciary staff and volunteers, likewise, played crucial roles in the day's various functions, from intake to processing and even checkout.
Services offered by the clinic can be life-changing. Expungements allow for eligible non-conviction arrests to be removed from one's record. Bench warrant recalls, conversely, offer individuals a chance to reset their standing in the eyes of the law, particularly after missing a court date for petty misdemeanors or misdemeanor cases. The tangible act of recalibrating one's legal standing also symbolically represents a re-engagement, with the justice system and a renewed opportunity for participants to tread on a path cleared of past encumbrances.
Volunteer attorneys from the Office of the Public Defender took on the important role of engaging with participants to select new court dates. This, in particular, helps individuals to reintegrate themselves with judicial processes minus the looming dread of arrest. Additionally, volunteers from the First Circuit District Court issued bench warrant recall orders right there, at the clinic.
