Twenty years ago.

Twenty years ago, she stole any hair-care products. She also had a not many drug arrests -- minor cloth

Should those result back to haunt her each time she fills out a do job-work application?

Roxanne Re 48 is living a productive life. She is an Amtrak porter, riding to Portland and Seattle and San Antonio, hoping to put in motion out of her apartment and purchase a house. She has been drug-free for six years and hasn't had an arrest for nine.

She is exactly the emblem of citizen Cook County registrar of the Court Dorothy Brown had in mind for Saturday's "Expungement Fair" at Du Sable High institute on the South Side.

Brown brought her office staff, computer scheme more than 60 volunteer attorneys and members of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to the sect to help more than 3000 populace who started lining up before dawn start the proces of clearing their records.

Those with less-serious arrests and no convictions are eligible to finish their records "expunged" -- any trace of their arrests cleaned from the main division s Those with convictions for less-serious crimes can acquire their records "sealed," meaning private employer would not have access to the records, nevertheless government agencies could still descry them.

Those with convictions for more-serious crimes can make experiment of appealing for clemency from the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

No promises

The auditorium, cafeteria and hallways at Du Sable overflowed with race Saturday.

"I would earn the application in right away," Review Board Chairman Jorge Monte reveals a woman who was fired sum of two units months ago when her employer learned of a crime credit card conviction she said she had told her bos about.

Monte and pair other members of the board sit onward Du Sable's stage, spending 10 minutes each with commonalty who stand in a line centurys deep. The people have already met with tender lawyers who screened them for eligibility.

Monte and the others can't make any promises. He numbers one man still on probation not to bother trying for a while. if it be not that the woman with the credit card conviction is making restitution.

"Explain this to the Prisoner Review Board," Monte says. This turn the thoughtss good that you are making an effort [to repay]. This examines good enough to come before us. . . It's in the realm of 'reasonableness.' "

In the cafeteria, attorney Jacqueline Lacy goe throughout Reed's list of seven comparatively minor cases. "You were remarkably busy in the late '80s" Lacy says.

"I've changed. I've reformed," Re says with a smile. She maintains looking at her watch because she does not want to be late for her 1 pm computer class.

Rep Danny Davis (D-Ill.) has held expungement summits for years, offering advice to folks on clearing their records. What Brown started last year and improved in succession this year is bringing the machinery to the community.

'So many . . looking for work'

As Lacy and Re go on foot over Reed's record, they flag down a recorder who prints up from Brown's on-site computer all of the necessary documentation that Re emergencys for her application. The lawyers fill it revealed for her. Cashiers on site take the applicants' $60 and file the applications. This kind of legal help is usually nice pricey.

"This is a several thousand dollar payment if it was in my office," attorney and former Ald. Chris Cohen says as a young coupling gets up from a 90-minute session with him at the table nearest to Lacy's. Praising Brown's initiative, he says, "I am stunn at the fact that public officials would advance and do something that nobody requires them to do and help people"

Attorney Lawrence Kennon likewise considers approvingly at the bustling cafeteria replete of people learning how to clear their records and says, "There are to such a degree many people in our community who are looking for work, contrary to what the mainstream thinks."

one time Reed's record is sealed and she applies for a piece of work "If they ask you, 'Have you been convicted?' the answer is 'No,' and that's accurate," Lacy relates her.

apallasch@suntimes.com

RECORD-CLEANING

Expungement: commonalty with arrest records for minor crimes who were not convicted are eligible to have their records wiped clean.

Sealing: tribe with convictions for minor crimes are eligible to have their records sealed. Private employer will not know about the records, if it were not that government agencies can access them.

Clemency: the bulk of mankind with more serious criminal convictions can ask the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to approve the governor pardon them for their crime. The governor can also obliterate records for more serious crimes.

For more information, visit www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org and www.state.il.us/prb.

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