FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 7, 2009
CONTACT:
Marcia Hayden. Chair ACLU of Florida, Palm Beach County Chapter, 561-758-9368
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A diverse group of local and state organizations will be holding a free Redemption Workshop on Saturday, May 16, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at O’Say Child Development Center, Pahokee, FL 33476.
The Redemption Workshops have been successful throughout the State of Florida in assisting over 115,000 applicants with the Restoration of Civil Rights (“RCR”) process, and sealing and expunging their criminal records.
“There is an enormous injustice underlying our entire voting process, which has led to the mass disfranchisement of close to one million Floridians. Florida’s Constitution permanently strips persons with felony convictions of their rights to vote, to serve on a jury, and to hold public office, and the ability to obtain many state occupational licenses,” said Marcia Hayden, Chairperson of the ACLU of Florida’s Palm Beach County Chapter.
WHAT: Redemption Workshop
WHEN: Saturday, May 16, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: O’Say Child Development Center, 255 South Lake Ave, Pahokee, FL
COST: FREE and open to the public
“These Redemption Workshops are crucial because they help ex-offenders successfully reenter society by assisting eligible applicants to restore their fundamental rights. Once someone has completed the terms of their sentence, we should welcome them back into society and give them that second chance,” Commissioner Diane Walker of Pahokee said.
The workshops will answer the following questions:
Can I seal my criminal record?
Am I required to disclose that my record has been sealed or expunged?
Can I restore my right to vote, sit on a jury, run for public office, and regain eligibility to apply for various occupational licenses?
The current list of the participating organizations follows:
ACLU of Florida
ACLU Palm Beach County Chapter
Palm Beach County Office of the Public Defender
Palm Beach County Bar Association
F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association
Xi Pi Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Concerned Citizens for Community Improvement, Inc.
Glades Area Branch NAACP
For more information about upcoming redemption workshops visit: www.restorerights.org
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