On Thursday, June 21, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office assisted 70 young people in the community with applications for expungement, helping youth with low-level, non-violent arrests achieve a fresh start for future education and employment.
This initiative from State Attorney Dave Aronberg is part of an ongoing effort to allow youth under age 21 with minor offenses to become productive, taxpaying citizens while reducing recidivism and the need for public assistance.
“Programs like this are good for our community, as it keeps our streets safer, saves tax dollars and provides young people with minor transgressions an opportunity to get an education and find a job,” Aronberg said.
State Attorney’s Office staff, along with representatives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Beach County Clerk’s Office and the Board of County Commissioners, hosted the first workshops at the State Attorney’s main office in downtown West Palm Beach and the North County satellite office in Palm Beach Gardens.
Aronberg added that an additional 30 to 35 young people were set to participate in another set of workshops at the State Attorney’s offices in Delray Beach and Belle Glade on June 28.
After the expungement applications are completed, participants must still be approved by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
If approved, the youth are allowed to avoid reporting their arrest record when filling out most applications for school or employment.
Anyone under the age of 21 who qualifies for expungement and is interested in attending a future workshop should e-mail the State Attorney’s Office at StateAttorney@sa15.org to request a preliminary application.
