WAIANE (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state Public Defender’s Office and the Judiciary held a free Records Expungement and Bench Warrant Recall Clinic at Waianae Public Library Saturday.
The event was meant to help people who’ve been arrested or have an outstanding bench warrant and wanted to clear their criminal record.
Volunteer attorneys and a judge helped residents with requests to recall their outstanding district court bench warrants, often due to missing a court date for issues like traffic matters and petty misdemeanors.
They helped people with expunging qualified arrests, whether they are first time offenders with deferrals or their cases were dismissed with prejudice or acquitted.
Organizers say the clinic helps residents move on from past mistakes without being detained or posting bail, and not be prevented from finding work.
“It allows for for them to apply, and then when the potential employer is seeking a background check, they don’t have to explain that pretty much, because it was something that shouldn’t have been there in the first place, or shouldn’t be there at all at this point,” said Edward Aquino, state Deputy Public Defender.
“When you have a bench warrant that’s outstanding, you’re always going to be looking over your shoulder. You can be arrested at any time,” he added. “That’s a lot of fear, that’s a lot of uncertainty, by seeking a recall of the bench warrant and to get them back on track with the court. They don’t need to be looking over their shoulder.”
Participating attorneys said the free clinic helps ease the backlog of outstanding bench warrants, especially in district courts.
Article and video can be found at: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/09/28/free-legal-clinic-waianae-offer...