The Clerk of the Circuit Court, Iris Y. Martinez, hosted the grand opening of her new endeavor, the Expungement Center of Cook County, which will help residents who are struggling to receive assistance with filing for an expungement of their criminal records so they may begin their “second chance.”

Expunging a record is a process allowed under the law of the State of Illinois that removes misdemeanor or felony arrests, charges, and convictions from one’s record. However, the process is cumbersome and costly for many individuals, which has impeded tens of thousands of eligible residents from receiving an expungement.

To be eligible to expunge a felony conviction, individuals must have been convicted of a crime that qualifies under the law, have successfully completed their probation/parole period, and have not been rearrested for 3-5 years.

Due to the extensive legal process to expunge one’s records, the process can take years and require multiple attempts at submission before it is approved for review by the State’s Attorney’s Office to file in Court. Clerk Martinez’ announcement and the help offered at the new Expungement Center will result in meaningful reforms to many lives.

“By helping those eligible complete their files with all the necessary documentation and streamlining the processes, we will see a much-needed improvement in the number of expungements granted in Cook County,” shared Clerk Iris Martinez.  Although the Clerk’s Office has successfully issued over 4,735 expungements since Martinez’s first took office

in December of 2020, the court clerks were previously just charged with processing the paperwork. Now, they will be helping individuals complete their packet to ensure the expungement process is completed successfully.

“There have been over 1,600 expungement applications that have been denied by the State’s Attorney’s Office and the Judiciary due to paperwork issues. True reform allows people to officially exit the criminal justice system. Those eligible have not been rearrested for many years after they have completed their sentence, and

we need to help them get their lives back on track. Having a criminal record can impact a person’s ability to find a job, obtain a certificate for job-training, and even prevent a person from finding housing for them and their family. This will offer a true second chance and will impact countless lives.” Clerk Martinez

For more information,  contact Cesar Rolon at (312) 603-5690 or crrolon@cookcountycourt.com.